


And Future

by Ivalee



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur's Return, M/M, Once and Future King, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-04 02:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivalee/pseuds/Ivalee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is a physician who spends his days healing others and his years waiting for the return of his king.  Arthur finally returns, but is dismayed to find that his life has been reduced to tales of fantasy.</p>
<p>The two old friends are becoming reacquainted in this new reality, but when Merlin senses a powerful and malicious magic, king and sorcerer must embark on a quest to uncover its source.</p>
<p>
  <i>“Leaving home at first light to track down an unknown enemy with Merlin at his side reminded Arthur so much of the old days in Camelot.  Perhaps this was why he had returned.  To rid the world of this evil.  To make the people of his kingdom safe once more.”</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Merlin fanfic… I wrote it for NaNoWriMo, but, don’t worry, I’ve done some editing to polish the must-meet-today’s-word-count-before-midnight bits.
> 
> I love stories of Arthur’s return. I thought the last episode was gorgeous, and I wanted to continue Merlin and Arthur’s story. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (warning: There is a character death, but not Merlin or Arthur.)

Arthur awoke disoriented, blinking in the bright midday sunlight. Why was he sleeping outdoors at midday? He sat up quickly to evaluate his surroundings. He was on the shore of a lake… A lake! Merlin was taking him to the Lake of Avalon to use some ancient magic to heal him. Arthur’s hands flew to his side where Mordred’s blade had entered him, but the wound was completely healed. Laughing, Arthur jumped to his feet.

“Merlin!” He spun around looking for his friend. “Merlin, you did it!”

“Mer-…“ Arthur froze. Past the lake shore, just a short distance from where he stood was a paved road and a low wall. Beyond the wall, he could see several small buildings, but not like buildings he had ever seen.

Brow furrowed, Arthur started toward the road, reaching for his sword as he walked. His scabbard was empty. He scanned the ground where he had woken up, and, finding no sign of the sword, grunted in frustration. Merlin must have taken it. If he was such a powerful sorcerer, why did he need Arthur’s sword? Idiot.

Arthur approached the road with caution, but suddenly a large cart of some sort flew by impossibly fast, causing him to stumble back so abruptly he was knocked off his feet.

What sort of magic was that?

Gaius said there were beings in the lake who possessed magic even more powerful than Merlin’s. Could their magic create such a fast moving cart? And what about those buildings? Were they part of the magic?

And where the hell was Merlin?

Perhaps there was someone in one of the buildings who had seen Merlin, or if not, could lend Arthur a horse so he could return to Camelot on his own.

“Let Merlin find his own way home.” Arthur thought bitterly, but immediately regretted the thought when he remembered how Merlin had not slept at all for the last two days as he brought Arthur to the lake to be healed. Arthur snorted. Apparently he was still oscillating between being amazed and grateful to Merlin for using his magic to protect Arthur all these years and being angry with his servant for keeping such a secret from his king… his friend.

“Oi! Have a bit too much fun last night, mate?”

Arthur whirled around to see a group of young people approaching him from the road. Their dress was very strange, and they were carrying oddly colourful packs on their backs and over their shoulders.

One of the young men nodded at Arthur and gestured toward his armour. “What kind of fancy dress party on a Wednesday night leaves you so pissed you’re wandering around the lake the next morning?”

Not quite understanding what the young man was asking, Arthur decided the best response was simply to introduce himself.

“I am King Arthur of Camelot. I was looking for my manservant. He seems to have wandered off.”

Before Arthur could ask for the use of a horse, several of the young people began laughing.

“Oh, you’re good.” One of the girls grinned at him, before turning to her friends. “Don’t you see? He’s an actor. He’s probably here for a programme at the public library… you know they’ve got that whole section on Arthurian legends. They do summer programmes for kids. I used to love those. They bring in actors in costumes to role-play different characters… Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, all those guys. And the kids get to ask them questions, and they stay in character the whole time. It’s great fun!”

“Oh yeah! I remember those things.” The first boy nudged one of the other boys. “Remember we always tried to trip them up?”

He turned back to Arthur. “So how did you get here? Did you drive or take the train? Did you know your wife is totally cheating on you?”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at the boy who seemed to be trying to impress his friends by making a fool out of Arthur. He decided to ignore him and addressed the young woman who had spoken before. Something she said had caught his attention.

“You mentioned Merlin? Is he here?”

“I don’t know. He might be.” She shrugged and then turned to her friends. “I’m heading into town anyway. I’ll show him the way to the library. Catch you later, yeah?”

The rest of the group said goodbye and turned toward one of the buildings across the road. The young woman introduced herself as Claire, and as they walked she asked Arthur about what kinds of food he ate, what kinds of weapons he used and what life was like in Camelot. But Arthur stopped paying attention to her ridiculous questions as they came into town. It was like no town he had ever seen. His heart raced. More of those fast carts sped past, unaided by horses. Some of the buildings appeared to be made almost entirely of glass. The whole town seemed to hum.

“What is this place?” A bit frightened, Arthur stopped walking and simply gaped at the sights and sounds around him.

Claire smiled and grabbed his arm, pulling him forward. “Oh, the kids are going to love you!”

Arthur followed Claire all the way to the library, becoming more and more overwhelmed by the strange things around him. When they arrived, however, he realized from all her ramblings that he might be expected to perform some sort of show like a travelling minstrel. He had no intention of making a fool of himself.

“Thank you for directing me here.” Arthur acknowledged the effort she had put forth. “I believe I need some time alone to prepare before my performance, so I will take my leave.”

Claire laughed. “I don’t think you need any more preparation. You are a perfect King Arthur! But I’ll leave the actor to his muses. Have fun, mate!”

She waved a farewell, and Arthur watched until she turned a corner. Now then, he did want to go into this library because Claire had been certain it contained information about Camelot and about Merlin, but he recognised that he stood out in his armour. So he ducked around the building and removed the armour, including his chainmail. He stashed it carefully behind a large bin where he hoped no one would find it. He entered the library dressed in his tunic and breeches that were now only slightly out of place, and when he asked to be directed to any information about Camelot and specifically, where he might find Merlin, he was not asked to perform. He was simply taken to a small room whose walls were lined with bookshelves and given a few books that particularly focused on Merlin.

Once he was alone, he sat at the small table in the centre of the room, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed, and glared at the stack of books before him. At least a dozen books. Pages and pages written about the man who, until two days ago, he believed was merely his idiot manservant.

*************

Merlin took a seat on his second train from Leeds to his home in Myrtle Hill on Lake Glaswyrdd. Sinking deep into the seat, he leaned his head against the window. Trips like this made him weary. Although to be honest, most things made him weary these days. Merlin was in his twenty fourth lifetime. At the moment, he looked about 30 years old but was actually more than 1500. During that time, he had moved around a bit. Made his home in various towns and villages, allowing himself to grow old before moving on to another location to start anew. After a glorious, though brief, period during which magic was openly accepted and he was able to serve Camelot as one of Queen Guinevere’s advisors and protectors, his abilities had remained hidden. Over the years, he kept up with the progress of science and medicine so that he could serve as a physician, helping others with a combination of his medical skills and the subtle application of magic. Gaius would be proud.

After the deaths of all those he loved in Camelot, Merlin had always remained close to the Lake of Avalon. To Arthur.

Hoping. Always hoping for his return.

Magic was fading from the world. Over the years there had been many rulers like Uther who feared the power magic gave to ordinary people. And true, there had been many who would take advantage of their magic to harm others and try to gain power for themselves. But many more would use their magical abilities only when necessary to protect their loved ones or simply to make life easier for themselves and their family. A little boost to help the crops grow during a dry season. A bit of a nudge to remove a stain without extra scrubbing. Completely harmless magic, but helpful to those who had the ability. However, fear of persecution caused most people to stop using magic altogether. And with so few using magic on a regular basis, even the magic of the earth began to diminish.

Of course, Merlin also had to seal off the source of the magic. The crystal cave had been used a few too many times by those who sought power. And Merlin knew all too well how misinterpretation of the visions the crystals held could lead a person to take dangerous action. Best to simply cut off access to the visions. Unfortunately, sealing the cave also allowed less magic to seep out into the world.

Merlin’s own power had not diminished, because he was himself magic, but now, in the early 21st century, very few others had any magical ability. And those who did were often frightened of their abilities and did not understand what was happening to them. So when Merlin detected the use of magic, he would track it down and explain to the person what their talents meant and help them learn to control their magic. Since magic was fading, only those who would once have been fairly powerful sorcerers still showed any hint of talent. Their abilities often manifested as young teenagers. Unexplained occurrences were quite frightening for them and their families.

Through the years, he had dealt with much hostility toward magic, from religious opposition to simple fear of the unknown. Occasionally children had to be removed from their families for their own safety and relocated to underground magical communities, like the druids.

The part Merlin often found the most difficult upon revealing that magic was real was that the revelation inevitably condemned those possessing it to a lifetime of hiding who they really are.

Although recently, an unexpected difficulty had arisen. After their abilities manifested, kids were now excited and almost seemed to expect his visit. But he had to crush all their hopes. Sorry, kid, magic is real, but there’s no such thing as Hogwarts. You will have to keep this secret and feel isolated from your peers your whole life. No Ron and Hermione to help you through.

Merlin closed his eyes as he started to feel drowsy. He was returning from a trip to visit the family of a teenaged girl who had shattered every window in her house in a moment of anger when her parents had denied her permission to attend a rock concert with her friends. Merlin had taught her a few spells and some restraint techniques. But she was a fifteen year old girl who had just learned that her life would never be the same. She was understandably angry. Her parents might have to remove her from school until she learned to control her magical reactions.

Just as Merlin was starting to doze off, his mobile buzzed in his pocket. He rubbed his hand across his eyes to wake himself up before he fished it out to read the text message he had just received.

“homeless man @ library. here all week. help him out? -J”

Well, maybe he could actually help this person, rather than just being the bearer of bad news.

*************

“Dr. Emerson! Thanks for coming.” Jack looked up from the circulation desk and waved Merlin over. “This bloke showed up a few days ago and he’s been here from open to close every day. He never changes clothes, and I’ve never seen him even step out for lunch so yesterday I followed him as he left the library at closing. He went down to the park even though it was after sundown. I suspect he’s living rough out there.”

When Merlin arrived in Myrtle Hill a few years ago, he helped start an assistance programme for the homeless. He has a room in his offices where he and a few local volunteers provide food and a bed for a few nights until the person can get back on their feet here in town or, if needed, get into a homeless shelter with an education and job assistance programme in one of the larger cities nearby. The public library is a popular place for those living rough to spend their days, so the staff have often called Merlin to help people they suspect might need a little assistance.

“Sounds like it, yeah. Thanks for the text. I’ll just go talk to him and see what’s going on.” Merlin started toward the public computer area, since that’s where the homeless people usually spent their days in the library, either searching for jobs or assistance or simply surfing websites, mindlessly trying to forget their troubles.

But before Merlin got too far, Jack stopped him. “Actually, Dr. Emerson, he’s not at the computers. Hasn’t even touched them. He spends all his time in the Camelot Room. You know, where we keep our Arthurian collection.”

Merlin’s heart jumped.

“He just reads and reads all day. Sits at a table back there with about ten books open in front of him.” Jack laughed. “I think that’s why it took me almost a week to realize his situation. I thought he must be a visiting scholar or something. Never seen a homeless bloke so obsessed with King Arthur. It’s weird.”

Now Merlin’s heart was racing. But he didn’t let anything show on his face. He just shrugged at Jack and turned toward the Camelot Room trying to control his hopes. It couldn’t be him. Probably just a student short on funds. Or someone filled with delusions of past lives. Or an actor researching a role. After all these years, he couldn’t just show up in the library of the town where Merlin lives.

But what if…?

This library had quite a large collection of books and manuscripts of Arthurian legend. And now Merlin paused just outside the room that housed the books made available for public study to steady his heart rate and his breathing. It’s not him, Merlin told himself. During every war for the last fourteen and a half centuries, Merlin had waited and hoped for Arthur to return. During times of drought and famine and illness, Merlin watched for him. Time after time, Merlin stood at the lake and begged, pleaded, cried for Arthur to come back to the country that needed him. But he never did.

Merlin took a deep breath and felt himself calm. This is a time of relative peace. There is no present threat to Albion. The man in this room is not Arthur. He is just a homeless man who is fascinated with an ancient legend. Tales of nobility and bravery and magic that comfort him when he has little control in his own life. With a sigh, Merlin turned into the room.

And found himself face to face with his king.

*************

“Merlin!”

The moment Arthur saw Merlin appear at the door, he leapt from his seat and strode immediately to throw his arms around his old friend. Merlin seemed to be in shock and did not return his embrace. With a hearty laugh, Arthur pulled back and gripped Merlin’s shoulders giving a small shake.

“I’m so glad you’re here!” Arthur stepped back and gave another relieved chortle.

“I don’t know what you did, Merlin. You healed me all right…” Arthur tapped his side where Mordred’s blade had pierced him. “Not even a scar. But, Merlin, we’ve missed hundreds of years!

“These books…” Arthur waved his hand indicating the shelves surrounding them. “They are filled with stories of me. And you. And Gwen, my father, Morgana, Lancelot, Gwaine. But they’re all wrong. And these people seem to believe we’re just stories. We’re legends. Tales of fantasy! I was beginning to wonder…”

Arthur took a few steps back and looked toward the floor. “In every story, I die. Every one.”

He glanced back at Merlin with a little shrug. “Although… some of them say I’m supposed to come back. To be king once more.”

Merlin had not moved. Arthur furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes at his manservant.

“And the stories about you are weird, Merlin. Sometimes you’re a demon. Sometimes you’re really old. … Sometimes you’re a tree.” Arthur chuckled as Merlin’s unresponsiveness began to unnerve him. He placed a hand on Merlin’s shoulder and felt it trembling.

“You’re shaking.”

“Arthur.” Merlin finally breathed out, and his mouth remained open as his eyes swept all over Arthur as if he had just realized he was there. “Is it really you?”

“Of course it’s me. What’s wrong with you? Where have you been? According to these stories, I was in a lake all this time. Is that true? Did you put me there to heal me? What happened to you? Were you in the lake, too, or a cave? You weren’t really a tree were you?”

Merlin was still just staring at Arthur, and it was making him feel very nervous, so all the questions that had been building this last week as he read these legends simply poured out Arthur’s mouth all at once. But at last Merlin’s face broke out in that giant smile Arthur remembered.

“Yeah, I always liked that tree bit. I think it would actually be pleasant just resting in a forest all those years. Bit of time off.” This time Merlin smirked and Arthur felt more normal than he had since leaving Camelot before riding out to meet the Saxons, so he returned Merlin’s grin.

“But really, Merlin, what happened to you?”

Now Merlin’s smile faded. “I lived.”

“All right, so I did actually die?”

Merlin nodded slowly.

“And you put me into the lake to preserve me or whatever until I was supposed to return?”

Another slow nod.

“But what then? How did you get here to the 21st century?”

“I lived.” Merlin sighed. “I just lived.”

Arthur was beginning to understand. He had slept in Avalon, his body and soul preserved by magic for what he estimated to be over a thousand years, so that when he awoke by the lake, it felt to him as if no time had passed at all. But now he realized why Merlin had been so shocked to see him. Why he stood before Arthur so haunted. Merlin had actually experienced all those years. He lived endlessly, waiting for Arthur to return.

Merlin must have seen the realization dawn on Arthur’s face, because he smiled again with a slight shrug and tilt of his head. But Arthur was horrified.

“That’s not possible. You can’t have lived for centuries.”

This time Merlin’s smile did not reach his eyes. “By my calculations, I’m 1502 years old.”

Arthur shook his head and took a few steps away. “Are you a demon, Merlin?”

“I am not a demon. I have never been a tree. I do not live backward through time.” Merlin’s voice was weary. “But I am old. Really very old.”

Sadness poured from Merlin’s exceptionally expressive eyes, and Arthur’s fear dissipated. He began to understand the sheer tragedy of such a long life. The loneliness Merlin must have felt living so many lifetimes watching everyone he cared for die. Again and again. Or else not making any connections and simply existing alone. The magic that caused Merlin to live an immortal life still frightened Arthur, but mostly he just felt desperately sad for his friend.

“I’m sorry.” Arthur said nothing else, because he didn’t know what else to say.

Merlin seemed to understand, and Arthur’s simple condolence must have meant something to him, because his expression softened and he no longer seemed so forlorn. Now, he looked almost hopeful. His eyes held Arthur’s for a long moment, and Arthur began to feel stirrings of the old familiar feelings he had pushed aside so many times. He had always felt such a connection with this man, which made no sense, as they had no common background on which to build a friendship. But background and lineage never seemed to mean much to Merlin, so a strong bond had developed in spite of their difference in rank. Merlin’s friendship meant more to Arthur than he could ever admit aloud.

Arthur smiled awkwardly at these thoughts and looked away from Merlin’s too discerning gaze. He turned back to sit at the table and motioned for Merlin to join him.

“So tell me exactly what happened. The last thing I remember was falling down in your arms after you killed Morgana.”

“That was a long time ago, Arthur.” Merlin chuckled as he took the seat across the table. “I’m not sure I can give you exact details.”

“Just, anything you can remember.” Arthur glanced down at the books full of fantastic stories of people whose names he knew, but who were not at all familiar to him, and his heart ached. He tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the pleading from his voice. “I need to know.”

“I couldn’t get you to the lake in time. You died right there on the hillside where we fell. And I felt so helpless.” Merlin wouldn’t meet Arthur’s eyes, and his voice was empty. “There was nothing I could do.”

But then, something shifted in Merlin’s face, and, when he looked up, he was the same young manservant who used to gaze with open admiration at his king. Not often, mind, but in those moments before a battle or after a tough decision with a prisoner or a matter of state. Just when Arthur began to question himself, Merlin would be there, enfolding him with respect and devotion, his eyes letting Arthur know that he had earned it.

“You gave me a gift before you died, Arthur. All my life I had to hide who I was. It was more than just not being able to use my magic freely. I had to sneak around and lie, for fear of being burned on the pyre. I had to deceive my closest and dearest friends. And I hated it. Especially lying to you. I just wanted you to see me for who I really was. Just once.”

Arthur wanted to tell Merlin again that he was almost certain he wouldn’t have had him killed for having magic, but the way Merlin was looking at him made his throat clench with emotion, and he didn’t trust his voice, so he just sat silently and let him finish.

“When I told you I was a sorcerer, you were so angry, which was…” Merlin shook his head, and Arthur almost spoke up to defend himself, but then Merlin gave a knowing smile. “Perfectly understandable.”

Arthur snorted.

“All your life, you had been taught both to fear magic and to command respect. And here was your own trusted servant telling you that he had been lying to you for ten years and, by the way, also had the power to destroy you and everything you loved with a wave of his hand.”

They both laughed, then, but it was still an uneasy laugh.

“In your final moments, though, you let me know that you forgave me. You told me to be myself, and you thanked me for the things I had done for you.” Now Merlin surprised Arthur by reaching across the table and placing his hands atop Arthur’s. “You have no idea how much your words meant to me, Arthur. That you accepted me for who I was helped me deal with your death and helped me face the challenges ahead.”

Merlin leaned forward, squeezed Arthur’s hands and simply whispered, “Thank you.”

Once again, Arthur did not trust his voice, so he gave a sharp nod. Merlin leaned back, removing his hands from Arthur’s.

“We lost so much during the battle with the Saxons and to Morgana. She killed Gwaine.” At this news, Arthur’s heart sank and his mouth dropped open.

“He and Percival tracked her down intending to kill her, but…” Merlin shook his head solemnly. “Percival helped Leon rebuild the knights. The Round Table continued with old faces and new.”

“And Guinevere?” Arthur had pored over the books of legends for any mention of the Gwen he loved. The queen in these stories was detestable to him, and he both longed for and dreaded news of how his Gwen had lived after Arthur was gone.

He needn’t have worried, though. At the mention of her name, Merlin’s face brightened with his broadest smile. “You chose your queen well, Arthur. She was magnificent.”

Tears prickled Arthur’s eyes, and he had to turn away.

“Of course, she was devastated at the news of your death. She missed you terribly, and the loss changed her, as the loss of someone you love always does, but she was not broken.” Arthur glanced back at Merlin who was still smiling. “She was so strong. And the people loved her. The commoners always loved her; she was one of them. But after your death, even the older nobility who had resisted all the changes you made had to respect how well she handled everything. The transition to ruling leader, the rebuilding of the knights, her steadfast presence which reassured the surrounding kingdoms that Camelot was still strong, and…”

Merlin hesitated, and Arthur was sure he would say that Gwen had remarried. He had considered this during the last week of acclimating to this new reality. As far as he was concerned it had only been a few days since his and Guinevere’s last night together, so the thought of her sharing a bed with another made him sick to his stomach. But when he considered objectively that Gwen would have had decades to live after his death, he did not want her to be alone.

“Merlin, it’s all right to tell me if she remarried. I want her to have had a happy life.”

Merlin looked surprised. “No! That’s not what I was going to say. Although, yes, she did remarry.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows with a silent question.

“Leon. A couple of years after you died, she and Leon married.”

Arthur opened and closed his mouth a few times. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of this news.

“They ruled together for 24 years, until, well, there was an illness that swept through Camelot. It took them both within three months.”

Of course, Arthur had known that Gwen was dead and had been for centuries, but hearing Merlin speak of her death threatened to break Arthur’s composure. Rather than focusing on that or trying to process the news that his wife had married his friend and spent almost half her lifetime with him, Arthur remembered what Merlin had said before.

“You said that wasn’t what you were going to say… about Guinevere remarrying. What was it then?”

Pressing his lips together, Merlin hesitated a few moments longer before answering.

“She changed the laws banning the use of magic.”

A thought occurred to Arthur that had not until this point. “Did she know about you? About your magic? Before, I mean.”

“No.” Merlin shook his head adamantly. “I was deceiving her as well. But talking with Gaius after the battle at Camlann, she pieced it together that I was the sorcerer who defeated the Saxons. We didn’t talk for a while after…”

Without finishing his thought, Merlin stood up and started pacing, agitated, until he whirled around and fixed Arthur with an almost defensive look.

“What you have to understand is that I blamed myself for your death. And Gwen… she couldn’t help it. She blamed me, too, a little. We were both just so lost in our grief. We should have helped one another, but you meant so much to each of us.” Merlin’s face fell. “I was supposed to save you, and I didn’t.”

Arthur wanted to walk over to Merlin. To take his hand and tell him that he had done all he could, and surely Gwen understood that, but he reminded himself that Merlin has had over a thousand years to get over this and with Arthur sitting in front of him now, he surely isn’t still feeling guilty. This part of Merlin’s story simply wasn’t finished, yet.

*************

Merlin lay on his back staring at the ceiling of his little room in Gaius’s chambers. He had spent most of the last two weeks in here. The official ceremony to declare the king’s death had taken place, and Merlin simply could not attend. He could not face everyone. Especially Gwen. She had crumpled to the floor in shock when he and Percival returned bearing the news of Arthur’s death, but what had nearly killed Merlin was the look of betrayal she gave him. She had expected him to save her husband, and he let her down.

A few times Gaius needed Merlin to fetch or deliver something for him, and when he had seen the queen around the castle, she turned and walked the other way, or at the very least avoided his eyes. But he couldn’t blame her.

“Merlin?” Gaius called as he returned to his chamber from his morning rounds. Merlin didn’t answer, but the door to his room swung open, and Gaius entered anyway.

“You can’t hide in here forever, Merlin.” Gaius crinkled his nose with distaste as he picked up two tunics and a pair of breeches from the floor and draped them over the back of a chair.

“Why not?” Merlin was aware that his reply came out rather like a stubborn child, but he didn’t care.

“Well, for starters, you’ll eventually want to wash this bedding.” Gaius unceremoniously pushed Merlin’s legs off the bed forcing him to sit upright. But then Gaius took a seat next to him on the bedding he supposedly found so offensive.

Merlin gave him a half-hearted smile. “I’ve actually been thinking that I should probably just leave Camelot.”

Gaius raised one eyebrow, but remained silent.

“Well what am I supposed to do around here now? I don’t have a job anymore; I was Arthur’s manservant.” Merlin stood up and started fidgeting with items on his bedside table. “But it’s more than that. Ever since I first arrived in Camelot, my entire life has revolved around Arthur. Everything I do is for him. To serve him. To protect him. To help him fulfill his destiny. Where does that leave me now?”

Tears sprung to Merlin’s eyes, but he didn’t care whether Gaius noticed them or not.

“My destiny was completely entwined with Arthur’s. I’m nothing without him.”

Gaius carefully rose from the bed and placed his hands on Merlin’s shoulders. Merlin sighed and refused to meet his eyes, assuming Gaius would reassure him that he was still useful and that perhaps he could serve as Gaius’s assistant full-time. Train to one day replace him as Court Physician. Merlin never could have predicted the next words Gaius spoke.

“Gwen knows you are a sorcerer, and she is considering removing the ban on magic.”

Merlin was certain his eyes were as wide as saucers when they finally did meet Gaius’s.

“She will need the advice of one who is familiar with the uses and abuses of magic in Camelot.” Gaius paused for just a moment to let this news sink in.

“You are both grieving the loss of someone dear to you. You need one another.” Gaius took a step back from Merlin and motioned toward the door. “Go. Talk to your queen.”

*************

Merlin found Gwen in Arthur’s chamber sitting on the bed staring blankly toward the wardrobe, her eyes bright with unshed tears. He cleared his throat to make his presence known, and she looked at him, not with the scorn or disappointment he had seen recently, but simple resignation.

“I found one of Arthur’s tunics in my private chamber.” Merlin recognised the piece of cloth she clasped as one of the plain white tunics Arthur wore under his armour for training. “I’m not sure what to do with it. With any of them, really.”

Walking over to the wardrobe, Merlin wondered why he hadn’t even considered what would happen with Arthur’s clothes. He pulled the door open and smoothed his hand down the so familiar clothing hanging inside. His throat clenched as he realized that he would never again have to launder these shirts. Never again select the proper clothing for Arthur to wear each day.

He turned to Gwen and his face crumpled. “I’m sorry.”

Gwen, too, started crying properly as she rose from the bed. They took two steps each and met one another, arms outstretched. Arthur’s queen and his manservant, his two best friends in the world, just held each other and wept.

Merlin wasn’t sure how long they stayed that way, but when they did pull apart, they were finally able to share a smile. In that instant, they both knew that, though they would never be the same, that they would miss Arthur every moment of every day, they would survive. And they two would remain the best of friends.

*************

Arthur’s heart swelled hearing Merlin talk about Guinevere. He felt terrible that she had to experience the loss of her husband so young, but he was relieved to hear that she and Merlin remained close. And, although the thought of her and Leon together still didn’t sit quite right, he was glad she didn’t have to be alone for the rest of her life.

“So did you talk about your magic, then?”

“We did.” Merlin nodded, looking pleased. “She asked me exactly how many times I had saved your life.”

Arthur let out a startled breath. “And what did you tell her?”

“The truth.” Merlin rolled his eyes with a smirk. “That I had lost count years before!”

“So all those times you joked about saving my life… you really weren’t joking, were you?”

Merlin simply peered at Arthur, who narrowed his eyes in return.

“I don’t really want to know all those stories, do I?”

“Probably not.”

The two men held each other’s eyes for a few more moments, before a thought occurred to Arthur.

“How did you find me here anyway? Did your magic lead you to me?”

“No.” Merlin suddenly looked perplexed. “Or maybe it did, actually, in rather a roundabout way. I live in this town. Moved here about five years ago. I’m one of the local physicians.”

Arthur’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “You took after Gaius after all, then!”

Dipping his head humbly, Merlin just shrugged, but Arthur could tell that he was pleased and proud to have followed in his guardian’s footsteps.

“A lot has changed since those days. Gaius would be amazed at all the scientific advancements. How much we now know about the human body and about treating diseases and injuries.” Merlin smiled fondly. “Although Gaius was able to work wonders with simple herbal remedies. Way ahead of his time.”

Arthur allowed his friend just a moment to honour Gaius’s memory, but he was still curious how Merlin found him today. “So, you live here?”

“Right, yes. I’m usually the person the townsfolk call when there’s someone who is homeless. Needs some food. A place to stay. Anyway, one of the librarians, Jack, noticed that you were here every day, not changing clothes, not eating lunch. He reckoned you might need some help, so he called me in. I had no idea it was you. Although…” Merlin closed his eyes, and his ears reddened a bit. “As soon as Jack mentioned that you spent all your time in here, reading these legends, I wondered.”

His face was definitely flushed and he was almost whispering when he continued. “I wanted it to be you, Arthur.”

His gaze connected with Arthur’s again, tears making the deep blue of his eyes even more striking than usual.

“I’ve waited for so long.”

This time, Arthur did not resist. He walked directly to Merlin and gathered his very old, very mysterious, but very dear friend into his arms.

“You don’t have to wait any longer.”

*************

Merlin could hardly believe any of this was true, so when Arthur hugged him, he clung tight, hands clasping the back of Arthur’s tunic, face buried in his neck. To have lived more than a millennium without this man who once meant more to him than anything was more than any person should bear. He wanted to hold Arthur close and never let go, but he certainly didn’t want to make his proud king uncomfortable. So he pulled back with a casual laugh.

“I can tell you’ve been living rough for a while. You always did lose control of your emotions when you were tired and hungry.” Merlin swiped his wet eyes with the back of his hand. “Although it generally just meant you yelled and threw things at me more than usual.”

His attempt to lighten the mood earned a warm chuckle from Arthur who turned back to the table and began shifting books around until he found one detailing the most ancient of the legends. He held it out to Merlin.

“The first stories of King Arthur were supposedly recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth. But even those were extremely inaccurate. Geoffrey may not have been privy to all the business of the knights and personal relationships in Camelot, but surely he would have been familiar enough with the basic facts to write them down correctly.”

Merlin took the book from Arthur and sighed. “The cleric, Geoffrey of Monmouth who wrote about the historical British kings lived centuries after the Geoffrey we knew. He just happened to have the same name and city of origin. Or he took our Geoffrey’s name to honour him. I was never sure.”

“If he wanted to honour Geoffrey, why did he change so many of the details to create a tale of fancy, rather than a true record of facts?”

With a furrowed brow, Merlin shook his head. “The facts were lost. It’s simple as that. I mentioned the illness that claimed Gwen and Leon. It was a type of plague that swept through the castle and the lower city. No one was safe. It claimed young and old and everyone in between.”

“And there was nothing Gaius could do?” Arthur asked.

“Gaius was long dead by that point.” Merlin frowned, remembering. “I tried so many herbal and magical remedies, but nothing helped. Nearly everyone who caught the disease died. We didn’t know about antibiotics yet, and living conditions, even in the palace, were so unsanitary. There was just no fighting it.”

That plague was one of the worst experiences of Merlin’s long life. He had felt even more helpless than he had when Arthur was dying. Each day more people were stricken. Common townsfolk and nobles alike. He and the new court physician had spent all their time researching and trying different medicines and spells, desperate to find a cure. But in the end, only Merlin was left, powerless to save even the queen. She died a few months after the outbreak started with Merlin sitting at her bedside whispering soothing lies to her about how he was close to developing a cure.

He decided not to share that particular story with Arthur just now.

“The few who managed to survive fled to the outlying villages and to the surrounding kingdoms. But their tales of the deadly plague frightened the villagers. Soldiers were sent to destroy Camelot to prevent the disease spreading. There was no one left to defend her. And, frankly, not much left to defend.”

Arthur’s eyes widened in horror when he heard these words.

“They burned it all to the ground. The town. The castle. Everything was destroyed.” Merlin could not bear to look at Arthur’s stricken face, but he had to continue. “That was the end of Camelot. The other kingdoms gradually took over the land, although within a few decades even they were gone. Just invasion after invasion for many years. Saxons. Normans. Peace is always brief.”

Merlin pushed the books around the table aimlessly to give Arthur a moment to process the destruction of his beloved Camelot.

“That’s why there’s no true account of your life. All that was left were stories, passed from generation to generation, changing slightly with each retelling, until an ambitious cleric pieced the tales together and wrote them down, adding a bit of his own embellishment in the process.”

“So everything I worked for my entire life was lost. Only lies left.” Arthur huffed and began slamming closed the offensive books.

Leaning forward, Merlin stilled Arthur’s hands with his own.

“They’re not all lies, Arthur.”

Arthur yanked his hands away and sat back crossing his arms before him. And Merlin had to smile. Here was a hint of the stubborn young prince he remembered from all those years ago.

“The reason these legends endure is not the falsified tales of adultery and betrayal. History is full of stories, both truth and fiction, of treachery and illicit affairs. But the tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table have been told and retold for almost 1500 years, not because of the lies made up to create drama, but because of the elements of truth in each of them.”

At these words, Arthur’s hopeful blue eyes lifted to meet Merlin’s. And Merlin could not contain his broad smile.

“Lancelot’s bravery. Gwaine’s sense of adventure. Guinevere’s love for her people. And Arthur’s fair and fiercely loyal heart.”

Arthur looked down and shook his head, but he smiled fondly and did not pull away when Merlin stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“These characters are beloved by people all around the world today, because the people on whom the characters are based were beloved by everyone around them.”

As always, when he received a compliment, Arthur was both pleased and embarrassed. He was beginning to shift in his seat and poke at the books awkwardly, so Merlin decided to give him a reprieve.

“Now then, before I make your head too big to fit through the door, let’s get out of here. Get you something to eat. A warm bed to sleep in. Although, first I should probably get you a bath and a change of clothes, because honestly, my Lord, you don’t half stink!”

At this, Arthur burst out with a hearty laugh and shoved Merlin so hard that he stumbled, but Arthur gave a grateful nod and motioned for Merlin to lead them out of the Camelot room and into his new life in the modern world.

*************

Clean, fed and wearing brand new pyjamas, Arthur sat on the couch in Merlin’s flat feeling so overwhelmed his head spun. Merlin was in the kitchen washing up after their meal of soup and bread. Too runny soup and too soft bread. And the bath water was too hot. And the clothing he now wore was too flimsy.

Or maybe Arthur was just too tired. Or too long dead.

“You look like you’re about to pass out.” Merlin wiped his hands on a cloth and then touched something on the wall that made the kitchen go dark. “Come on. You can have my bed for the night.”

“No, Merlin, I can’t put you out of your bed. Where will you sleep?”

Merlin grabbed Arthur’s arms, pulled him up from the couch, and turned him toward the back of the flat. “It’s fine. I’ve got a mattress on the floor in my spare room. I’ve spent many a night on far worse.”

“Yeah, but you’re so old now. You’ll be complaining about your hip or something in the morning.” Arthur protested, but he allowed Merlin to guide him into the bedroom. He couldn’t actually remember the last time he had a good night’s sleep. Certainly not since he had left Camelot.

“My body feels whatever physical age I make it. I’ll be just fine.”

Arthur didn’t have enough energy to ask what Merlin meant by that. He crawled into bed and allowed Merlin to pull the covers over him. Once again, Merlin touched the wall filling the room with darkness.

“Good night, Arthur.”

A slight hum was the only response Arthur could give before sleep overtook him.

*************

Merlin had assured Arthur that he would sleep just fine in the spare room, so he went through the motions of putting clean sheets onto the bed, but he knew he would most likely not sleep at all that night. Having Arthur back was like a dream come true, but Merlin could not help but wonder why he had returned. All the other times the land of Albion was threatened, the Once and Future King had not returned. So why now?

Wanting to be prepared in case Arthur should come back, Merlin always kept up with political news, certainly from the United Kingdom and Ireland, but also news from around the world. There were no current threats to this land that he was aware of. And certainly no threats from within. The usual bickering in Parliament, but nothing to be concerned about.

And was Arthur really meant to be king again? The British monarch had comparatively little power. And anyway, the royal family certainly would not welcome a stranger into their line of succession simply because he climbed out of a lake claiming to be a resurrected King Arthur. Pulling a sword out of a stone would simply look like a joke, now.

Merlin grabbed his laptop from his desk and flopped onto the couch with it. He spent the entire night searching the news sites for any hint of what may have brought Arthur back, but he found nothing. Assuming, of course, that Arthur’s return pertained to Britain rather than one of the many conflict-filled regions in other parts of the world. Merlin would just have to wait and keep his eyes and ears open to discover a new destiny for Arthur to fulfill. Meanwhile, he had a lot to teach his friend about living in the 21st century.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next few weeks, Arthur learned about electricity and automobiles. He learned about take-away and telly. He learned about aeroplanes and the internet. He received a condensed history of Britain and the world beyond that was larger than he had ever imagined. He read Shakespeare and Dickens and Austen. He read the Times and the Guardian. He wandered around town and watched people working and shopping and playing football in the park.

And he watched Merlin. He used to tease him for being lazy and incompetent, all the while knowing that was not entirely true. But now he could see that his old manservant was, in reality, the complete opposite of lazy and incompetent. He almost never sat down, and he excelled at everything he did.

Arthur watched him in his medical practice. He was kind and gentle with his patients. He listened to them. He never became annoyed when they stopped him in a shop or on the street to ask a question or complain about a particular ailment. They trusted him completely with their health and the health of their children and for good reason. Merlin spent a good deal of time in the evenings poring over the latest research in medical journals.

And Merlin genuinely cared about, not only his patients and his friends, but everyone he happened to meet. Arthur had asked him once why he lived so simply. A small flat in a modest neighbourhood. Wardrobe of just a few functional shirts and trousers. One plain business suit. A bicycle, but no car.

“If you’ve lived so long, and worked your whole life, surely you must have enough money by now to buy a house or a car. Some better clothes at the very least!” He waved in Merlin’s face a threadbare jacket that reminded Arthur too much of the one he had worn every day for ten years in Camelot.

Merlin just laughed and took the jacket from Arthur’s hands. “I guess I’ve never been that great at saving money.”

As he smoothed the jacket carefully and hung it back on the coatrack by the door, Arthur had started to wonder whether he had been right all along about Merlin being an idiot who spent most of his time in the tavern. If he lived so simply, where exactly did his money go?

But, after a few weeks of observing his friend, Arthur saw that Merlin wasn’t great at saving money, because he gave it all away. If he saw someone in the park who hadn’t eaten all day, he bought them a meal. If one of his patients needed treatment that NHS wouldn’t cover, he simply covered the cost himself. If a single mother couldn’t afford a birthday present for her child, Merlin subtly slipped her a few quid without the child knowing.

How many people over hundreds of years had Merlin helped in small ways by sharing what he had? And how many lives had he saved or changed in large ways by using his magic? Because Arthur had seen him doing that as well.

Always observant as he walked around town, Merlin stopped automobile accidents with a nearly imperceptible wave of his hand. In his practice, he constantly used magic to enable an injury to heal faster or to help antibiotics target specific bacteria.

When Arthur reflected back on their days in Camelot, he realized that Merlin had always done this. He remembered seeing Merlin around the palace lending a hand to the other servants. If a knight was injured during training, Merlin was the first to jump in to help. And he always spoke up in defence of anyone he felt was wrongly accused of a crime.

With a pang, Arthur recalled that Merlin had once helped him and Morgana to free a young boy whose only crime (at the time, anyway) was being a druid. Although… Arthur remembered the fear he and Mordred had experienced waiting in the tunnel for Merlin to arrive to remove the grate. He had been late. Hmmm…

That night as they sat together at the kitchen table eating take-away, Arthur asked Merlin. “Did you know? That Mordred would be the one to kill me?”

He tried to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice, but Arthur had spent most of the day while Merlin was at work remembering details of how Merlin had treated Mordred in Camelot.

“You were late that night to open the grate for us when we were smuggling him from the city when he was a child. Like maybe you weren’t sure whether to help him or not. You treated all the other knights like brothers, but you were always very cold toward Mordred. As if you didn’t quite trust him.” Arthur narrowed his eyes, because Merlin was suddenly fisting his hands on the table and avoiding his gaze. “So, did you know?”

“I had been warned that if I allowed Mordred to live, you would not fulfill your destiny.” Merlin spoke through gritted teeth, bitterness seeping through as if Mordred’s betrayal had occurred last week. He shook his head stiffly.

“Prophesies are not always easy to interpret. And Gaius reminded me again and again that the future is not set in stone.” He paused for a moment and looked Arthur in the eye. “And Mordred worshipped you.”

Arthur realized he was holding his breath. Merlin’s usual easy manner had vanished.

“I wanted to believe he would not hurt you. But I never let my guard down around him.”

The tone of Merlin’s voice and the set of his jaw bespoke a sternness Arthur did not even recognise in his friend. It was disconcerting, and he considered dropping the matter entirely, but he needed to understand.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this prophecy? Warn me. I could have been on my guard as well.”

Merlin released a breath and, with it, his rigidity was gone. He closed his eyes, defeated.

“Arthur, there were so many reasons I couldn’t tell you.” He opened his eyes again, pleading for a reprieve, but for some reason, this angered Arthur. He raised his eyebrows, insistent. As both prince and king, he was quite accustomed to being stern. He would hear Merlin’s reasoning.

Unfortunately, his being imperious had never worked on Merlin who now responded to Arthur with both a snort and a cheeky roll of his eyes. At times like this, Arthur particularly missed the stockades in Camelot. Disappointed, he felt his lips poke out into a pout, and, of all things, this caused Merlin to give in.

“Oh, fine. I might as well just tell you everything. You’ll wheedle it all out of me eventually.” Arthur considered pointing out that kings don’t wheedle, but instead he gave Merlin a triumphant smirk.

“First of all, prophecies generally involve magic, and we all know how you felt about any use of magic.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Oh, Merlin was a patronizing little dollop head.

“Seriously, though, like Gaius said, the future is not set in stone. I hoped that your mentoring Mordred and showing your confidence in him as a knight would have a positive effect on the choices he would make. You have such a good heart, Arthur. One I hoped would have the power to change the future.”

Now Merlin smiled at Arthur with such open affection that Arthur could feel his skin flush.

“But apparently some paths cannot be changed. Any action we take will simply lead to the same conclusion. I suspect that even if I had not come to open the grate that night in an attempt to let Mordred die, something would have happened to correct the path of destiny. His magic might have manifested uncontrolled to enable his escape, or you might have been killed years too early in a scuffle with the guards.” Merlin shrugged. “All I know is that your destiny and Mordred’s were completely entwined and inevitably led to your deaths.”

The notion of an unescapable destiny was nothing new to Arthur, but that he was always destined to be killed by Mordred no matter what choices he made or what actions he took chilled him to the bone. 

“But how did you know all this? Was it written somewhere? Did you have some sort of vision?”

“Um, well…” Merlin sucked in a breath through his teeth. “The Great Dragon told me.”

“The Great Dragon?” Arthur was confused. “The one that I killed?”

“Well, the first time he warned me about Mordred was before that, actually.” Merlin still looked a bit sheepish.

“The first time? How could he continue issuing warnings after he was dead? And just why were you conversing with a dragon in the first place?”

Rubbing his cheek, Merlin looked down for a moment and started laughing. When he raised his eyes, they sparkled with mirth.

“He called me. When I first arrived in Camelot. A dragon spoke to me in my head.” His hand fluttered madly near his temple, and he laughed some more. “I used to talk to him all the time in the cavern below the castle where Uther held him captive.”

Merlin’s amusement was beginning to annoy Arthur.

“I’m a dragonlord, Arthur.” Merlin held his hands out before him, palms up, as if in surrender.

“The last dragonlord. I released Kilgharrah… that was his name, Kilgharrah. He made me promise to set him free in exchange for a spell to save Camelot from an evil sorcerer. I never expected…”

Merlin had sobered now. As well he should, Arthur thought. So many people had died when the dragon attacked Camelot. That was certainly nothing to laugh about.

“But wait.” Arthur was still confused. “We went to find the last dragonlord. What was his name? Balinor?”

Merlin gave a single nod.

“And he died. What, did his title just pass to the nearest sorcerer or something?”

Leaning forward, Merlin spoke in a solemn voice. “When a dragonlord dies, his gift is passed on from father to son.”

Arthur’s heart sank and his mouth dropped open. “Balinor was your father? But you told me that you never knew your father. Was that the only time you saw him? Just before he died?”

A sad smile was Merlin’s only reply.

Arthur reached across the table and placed his hand on his friend’s. “I’m sorry, Merlin. Truly I am.”

Merlin turned his hand under Arthur’s so their hands were palm to palm, and a spark tingled through Arthur. But for once, instead of feeling shame and trying to ignore the connection he felt, Arthur caught and held Merlin’s eyes. After a few moments, Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hand, gave a grateful smile and pulled away.

“I’m sorry I told you that you had killed the dragon.” Despite his words, the twinkle in Merlin’s eyes showed that he did not actually regret his actions, so Arthur just snorted.

“So what actually happened?”

“I told him to leave, so he had to.” Merlin jerked his thumb toward himself with a wink. “Dragonlord.”

Arthur laughed right out loud. But that reminded him.

“Hang on. A minute ago, when you first started talking about the dragon, you kept laughing. What the hell was so funny?”

With a shrug and a small snicker, Merlin shook his head. He looked blankly toward the ceiling for a moment before speaking.

“I don’t even know. For a moment, I was trying to come up with a believable lie so you wouldn’t find out I had talked with Kilgharrah.” He looked back at Arthur with an apologetic half-smile. “I was so used to keeping secrets from you all those years, and I guess it just hit me all at once that I don’t have to do that anymore. You know I’m a sorcerer. You know I’m immortal. Why on earth did I feel like I still had to hide the fact that I’m a dragonlord?”

Arthur nodded, satisfied. “You don’t have to hide anything anymore, Merlin. No more secrets.”

But instead of the enthusiastic agreement to full disclosure that Arthur was expecting, Merlin simply looked down with an enigmatic smile and a quiet “hmm.” He stood and began gathering the remains of their take-away to put in the bin, leaving Arthur sitting at the table wondering what secrets the 1500 year old sorcerer might still be hiding.

*************

“So, Guinevere was a good queen?”

Merlin looked up at his friend with a sympathetic smile. In spite of the fact that Arthur spent his days catching up on the centuries of events he had missed, over their shared meals each evening, Arthur’s thoughts often returned to Camelot.

Arthur tore a bite-sized chunk from his bread and dipped it in his soup. He glanced at Merlin, eyebrows raised, giving a cheeky half-smile before stuffing the soggy bread into his mouth. His actions were casual and his tone conversational, but his eyes held a hint of melancholy. Merlin could tell that Arthur genuinely wanted to hear about how his wife had fared after his death, but he wanted to keep the tone light. And Merlin was happy to oblige. He certainly had his share of serious and heavy-hearted stories of Gwen as queen, but he had many happy memories from that time as well. Those years weren’t all focused on mourning the loss of the king.

“Come on, Arthur. You know Gwen. She always did have trouble holding her tongue when she saw injustice. Even when she was just a servant. But as queen…”

Merlin whistled long and low and shook his head as Arthur beamed with pride at the thought of his wife standing up for what was right. Chuckling under his breath, Merlin remembered one particular occasion when Gwen’s mouth had nearly gotten her into trouble.

“You should have heard the tongue-lashing she gave to Annis one time. I tell you, Arthur, you would have stood right up and cheered.”

Arthur’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “She told off Queen Annis?”

“Oh, believe me, Annis deserved it.” Merlin just smirked as he took another bite of his soup.

“I’m sure she did.” Arthur was almost giddy with delight. “So what happened?”

Merlin used his bread to soak up the last of his soup from the sides and bottom of his bowl. He popped the bread into his mouth, pushed his chair back from the table a bit and leaned back comfortably before he launched into his story.

“About six months after you died, we started to receive word of disputes over the land along the border between Camelot and Caerleon. Annis’s representatives were attempting to gather taxes from villages that were within the established border of Camelot, and citizens were naturally resisting what they saw as an attempt at double taxing. Leon send a party of knights to investigate and stop these skirmishes between villagers and Caerleon officials. Unfortunately, two of the knights were killed by Annis’s men.”

Arthur’s brow was furrowing with concern, and he leaned forward gripping the edges of the table. But Merlin shook his head to reassure him.

“Arthur, you know that Annis was fair and just. She did not know of the behaviour of these men. They were following the lead of her husband years before, testing the strength of the new ruler in Camelot. But Annis wouldn’t have it. She had the men removed from their positions, and she personally journeyed to Camelot to apologize to Queen Guinevere.”

Nodding approval, Arthur released his grip on the table, but Merlin noted that his shoulders remained tense. Perhaps this wasn’t the lightest of stories after all, but it was a good example of both Gwen’s inflexible stance against prejudice of any kind and her good-humoured likability.

*************

The party from Caerleon entered the gates of Camelot, Annis riding near the front, projecting an air of pride in spite of the apologetic reason for her visit. Deference simply was not in Annis’s nature. And Guinevere matched Annis’s nobility in every respect. She stood on the steps of the palace, surrounded by her knights and her court, breathtaking in her regal velvet dress of Pendragon red accented with elaborate designs of gold embroidery. But as always, although enhanced by the splendor of her clothes and the shining crown atop her mane of dark hair, Guinevere’s beauty came from within. She stood proud, shoulders back and head held high, but her eyes and her smile said that she was proud of this kingdom, not because she ruled over it, but because she was a part of it. Just one thread in the fabric of Camelot, along with the knights, the farmers, the servants, the blacksmiths. No one role more important than the others.

Annis dismounted and the two queens approached one another. Merlin stood to the side along with both servants and council members, and he listened as Gwen greeted Queen Annis with a formal welcome and Annis responded with equal formality. Merlin had to wonder whether this visit was simply a gesture to keep peace between the two kingdoms or whether Annis wished to personally assess Gwen’s skills as ruler.

As was to be expected, as part of the formal greeting, Annis expressed sorrow over the death of King Arthur.

“He was a good man. I appreciated his sense of honour and respected his goals of peace.” But then, Merlin noticed, the formality dropped from Annis’s voice. “I know what it is to lose a husband and, without time to properly mourn, be thrown into a position of sudden authority. That is not something I would wish on anyone.”

The look that passed between Gwen and Annis, then, was one of shared experience. Two women who had lost the men they loved but who had to carry on, now holding a position traditionally occupied by men. Gwen nodded her appreciation of Annis’s support, and then the two women walked together into the palace.

During the afternoon, Merlin noticed several members of Annis’s household staff talking with the servants of the palace. They seemed to be asking a lot of questions about Guinevere and how she was managing as queen. Merlin didn’t think much of it, though. He knew that servants loved to gossip amongst themselves, and the fact that Gwen used to be a servant had to be fascinating to those from Annis’s kingdom.

Later that evening, a banquet was held to welcome Queen Annis. Merlin, as a member of the council and a close friend of the queen, was seated at a side table, but in the position nearest the high table. He could hear Annis and Gwen talking, but he was not so near to be of notice to the visiting queen.

Discussions of border issues would take place the next day in a meeting with both queens and their councils, so the talk at the banquet was of a lighter nature. So over dinner, Annis and Gwen discussed the surprisingly large yield of the crops that year and the difficulty of breaking in a new horse. They had a nice laugh over the way their husbands used to strut about the castle wearing chain-mail or leather armour for protection against attack, and yet the queens somehow managed to remain safe wearing dresses.

After the food was cleared, however, and the guests were enjoying drinks, Annis turned to Gwen, suddenly shrewd and calculating.

“My staff informed me of some disturbing news this afternoon.”

“Oh?”

Merlin noticed that Gwen pulled back with a guarded look on her face. He smiled at Gwen’s perceptiveness.

“I am told that you are lifting the longtime ban on magic in Camelot. And that you have invited a powerful sorcerer to be a member of your council of advisors.” Annis narrowed her eyes and scanned the faces of the guests in the room as if said sorcerer might be wearing a sign or perhaps a tall pointed hat.

“Your staff have done their job well.” Now it was Gwen’s turn to give the other queen a shrewd look, letting her know that Gwen was fully aware of the snooping Annis’s staff members had been doing since they arrived. “Both these things are true.”

Annis was taken aback by Gwen’s confirmation. “I would think that you, of all people, would be aware of the dangers of sorcery. Was it not an enchanted sword wielded by a sorcerer that took your husband’s life?”

“Arthur was mortally wounded in a battle to defend his kingdom and his people. It matters not that the one who inflicted the wound was a sorcerer. What matters is that the man was a coward and a traitor.”

Merlin always got chills when he heard Gwen talking like this.

Annis leaned forward, lowering her voice as she changed her tack. “You served as handmaiden to the Lady Morgana for many years, did you not?”

Gwen pursed her lips. “I did.”

“I do wonder whether your attitude toward sorcery may have been affected by a friendship with your mistress. You were obviously accustomed to developing inappropriately familiar relationships with those above your station.” Annis raised her eyebrows displaying her disapproval.

But Gwen, bless her, chose not to react defensively. She simply stared at Annis with a slight sadness in her eyes. In return, Annis put a hand on Gwen’s arm.

“I know how easy it is to fall prey to those making promises to you in your grief. Who is this sorcerer who has weaseled his way into your court?”

At that, Gwen met Merlin’s eyes and nodded in question. He grinned at his queen, and when she motioned her arm toward him, he stood.

“I believe you have met Merlin before, Your Majesty?”

Annis’s eyes widened in shock for a brief moment, but then she slammed her hands onto the table and stood, shouting.

“Arthur represented this man as his servant. ‘A simple minded fool,’ he said. Do you mean to tell me that Arthur was lying to me all that time?”

Merlin spoke up, then. “No, Your Majesty, Arthur was not lying to you. I was his personal servant, but he did not know about my magic. Sorcery was forbidden, so I kept my abilities hidden, only using magic when necessary to protect Arthur.”

Still infuriated, Annis nearly spat at Merlin. “What kind of fool king was Arthur? Taken in by sorcerers and servants alike?”

A rumble of outcries rose in the hall. Citizens of Camelot protesting Annis’s insults to their beloved king, and guests from Caerleon defending their queen. But Guinevere rose from her seat and raised one arm, silencing everyone. She turned to face Annis.

“I will not have you speak of my husband this way. Arthur was wise and good. His loyalty and his ability to see the best in people are qualities to be envied, not mocked. Please remember that you are our guest, which gives you the right to enjoy our food and our company and to ask as many questions as you wish to help you understand the choices I have made as queen. You may even express hearty disagreement with those choices if you wish. But you do not have the right to besmirch the memory of our king.”

Gwen spoke with a kind, but firm tone. She looked Annis in the eye as she spoke, asserting her authority in that hall and in that kingdom. Annis may have been hot tempered and stubborn, but she understood the right of a queen to speak up for her king. She nodded her acquiescence to Guinevere and returned to her seat.

Gwen glanced around the room making eye contact with several of the knights to make certain everyone understood that all was forgiven, and that the banquet was to continue as before. She, too, returned to her seat, smiling at Annis and leaning in conspiratorially.

“You’re lucky I stepped in when I did. Insulting Arthur in front of Merlin is a dangerous business. You might find yourself suddenly transformed into a toad.”

*************

“She didn’t!”

Merlin nodded gleefully. Arthur tossed his head back, laughing at Gwen’s smooth handling of Annis’s outburst.

“What happened then? Was Annis angry?”

“No, of course not.” Merlin shook his head. “You know Annis. She still felt guilty for letting Morgana talk her into attacking Camelot. She did have a temper on her, but she was also quick to admit her mistakes. And she had absolute respect for anyone who stood for mercy and for peace.”

Arthur was nodding, remembering how Annis had treated him after the single-combat battle between himself and her warrior.

“When Gwen stood up to Annis in a way that preserved Annis’s dignity and clearly showed a desire to maintain a good relationship… That was it.”

Merlin swiped his hand as if drawing a line in the air before him.

“She became one of Gwen’s biggest supporters.”

Arthur beamed with pride.

“And what about you?” Arthur asked.

“I was always one of Gwen’s biggest supporters.” Merlin smirked.

Arthur wadded up his napkin and tossed it at Merlin’s head. But Merlin was used to Arthur throwing things at his head, and now there was no reason to let his former master get away with it. With a flash of gold in his eyes, Merlin transformed the napkin into the shape of a bird which veered away from his own face, and instead fluttered madly around Arthur’s head.

“Seriously, Merlin? I think I was right when I told Annis you were a fool!” Arthur swatted at the napkin bird and glared at Merlin, but his expression was amused, nevertheless.

Merlin’s eyes flashed again, and the napkin fell gently to Arthur’s lap. He answered Arthur’s earlier question as if nothing had happened.

“Once Gwen had the ‘magic is a tool to be used for either good or evil’ discussion with Annis, she understood Gwen’s choice to lift the ban on magic. And she had many questions for me. It didn’t take her long to get over thinking of me as your fool. In fact, a few years later, she sent for me to ask my advice in selecting her own court sorcerer.”

Arthur let out a surprised breath. “Really? That’s incredible.”

With a chuckle, Merlin rolled his eyes. “Although while I was there, she had me teach the juggling spell to several less powerful sorcerers that she employed as performers.”

“Of course!” Arthur jabbed an accusing finger toward Merlin. “I knew you were far too clumsy to be able to juggle like that. It was magic, you cheater!”

“You put me on the spot. That wasn’t cheating; that was creative problem solving.” Merlin leaned back and folded his arms across his chest with an evil grin. “This is cheating.”

He glanced at his dishes on the table and, with a flash of his eyes, they were completely clean. And then, with a casual wave of his hand, the clean dishes flew to their places in the cabinets and drawers.

Arthur laughed and shook his head, but then frowned when he looked back at the table. “What about my dishes?”

Giving an overly dramatic shrug, Merlin stood and started toward the living room. “Washing-up liquid’s next to the sink.”

Unfortunately for Merlin, this time his back was turned, and he didn’t notice the spoon Arthur flung before it hit him in the back of the head.

*************

“Look! We’ve just passed Kinswood! I can’t get over this. It’s only been an hour and we’ve traveled farther than we would have in a day back in Camelot.” Arthur held a map in his lap and laughed at every sign they passed on the road.

Merlin laughed with him. It was the first time Arthur had ridden in an automobile, and he was delighted, marveling frequently about the speed and comfort of this mode of travel.

“We don’t have to lose hours of travel time stopping to prepare a meal. We can eat right here in the car!”

“If it starts to rain, we can keep going and stay warm and dry!”

“Just think, Merlin, if we had been able to travel this fast, I may never have had to suffer through the endless tales of Gwaine and the tavern girl from Mercia.”

They were travelling to Becket, because Merlin had sensed a strong use of magic coming from that town three days ago. It took a few days to clear his schedule, either rescheduling his patients or shifting their appointments to other doctors. Arthur had insisted on joining him, which certainly pleased Merlin. He had borrowed a car from a friend, partly to simplify the journey, but mostly because he knew it would thrill Arthur.

“So you’ve determined which town the magic was coming from, but you can’t pinpoint the exact address?” Arthur was fascinated by Merlin’s ability to detect the use of magic.

“I’m not a GPS, Arthur. It’s just a sort of tingly feeling. Depending on the strength of the sorcerer, I can sense the general direction and distance. If there were two towns next to each other, I wouldn’t be able to tell which town the magic came from. And if it’s someone whose magic is very weak, it sometimes takes me a few days to triangulate their location.

“How do you know it’s a new sorcerer and not someone you’ve already talked to?”

Merlin smiled, pleased that Arthur was taking such an interest in the way his magic worked. “I have a sort of catalogue in my head of all the sorcerers in Great Britain. I feel them all the time, so I can keep track of them and make sure they aren’t using their abilities to hurt anyone.”

“You can do that?” Arthur looked skeptical. “You can feel if a spell is good or evil?”

“The spell is just a tool. It is not innately good or evil. It’s more like I can sense the intent of the sorcerer casting the spell.”

“That’s amazing.” Merlin could tell from Arthur’s tone that he was genuinely impressed, so the compliment warmed him throughout.

“It’s a shame you didn’t have this ability in Camelot.” And just like that, the warmth Merlin was feeling dissipated.

“I know.” Merlin glanced at Arthur, but he was turned the other way, looking out the window. “It took me years to develop this skill. And by years, I mean at least four centuries.”

Now Arthur looked at him in a way that made Merlin feel as if he were a puzzle Arthur was trying to solve. Merlin could tell it still bothered Arthur that he had lived for so many years. Not that he could blame him. A life of fifteen hundred years was a tough concept to wrap your head around. Mostly, Arthur just chose to ignore Merlin’s oddly long lifespan.

“So what do you do when you find the person?”

“I just talk to them. Or their parents or guardian if it’s a very young child. They usually have some suspicions already. They know they’ve been doing impossible things.”

“But aren’t they frightened?” Arthur asked.

Merlin half-shrugged. “Sometimes. But usually their families are more scared than they themselves are. When they perform even accidental magic, there’s a feeling that comes with it. Like they are finally comfortable in their own skin. They are relieved to know they are not alone, and that it’s okay to be who they are. Yes, they will have to keep their magic a secret, but just knowing there are others out there with that ability makes them feel… validated, I guess.”

“Nothing has changed.” Arthur’s voice was no more than a whisper, and when Merlin turned his head to look at him, Arthur’s eyes were so sad. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t realize in Camelot just how much I was hurting you and others like you. I didn’t know that hiding your magic was like shutting off a part of yourself.”

Tears sprung to Merlin’s eyes at hearing these words from his king. He blinked rapidly so his vision would not be affected while he was driving.

“I just thought of magic like a weapon. I know that’s how my father saw it. By keeping his laws banning magic, I thought I was protecting Camelot. But instead, I was hurting my people. Not only the ones who had magic, but those who could have benefited from its use.”

Arthur turned in his seat to look fully at Merlin as he spoke. “I see the ways you help people every day with your magic, Merlin. Healing your patients. Preventing accidents.”

Merlin’s head whipped toward Arthur in surprise.

“You didn’t know I had noticed those things, did you?” Arthur smiled. “And you did things like that in Camelot all the time, too, didn’t you?”

Without waiting for an answer, Arthur continued. “It kills me that I spent all that time with you, and I never really knew you. You were just about the best friend I had, Merlin. And I didn’t even know you.”

Now Merlin had to pull over to the side of the road so he could give this conversation his full attention. Arthur was still looking at him, his eyes so filled with regret. Merlin switched off the engine and turned to face his friend.

“Arthur, listen to me. You did know me. Yes, my magic is a huge part of me, but it’s not all there is to me. We shared so many things that had nothing to do with magic. We laughed and joked together. We fought enemies together. Arthur, I was just your servant, but you asked me for my opinion time and time again. You listened to my advice and trusted me with tasks that most servants would never have been given. You were the best friend I had as well.”

When Merlin finished, he nudged Arthur’s shoulder with his own, and Arthur nudged him back. Merlin started the car again and pulled back onto the road. They drove in silence for almost half an hour, but Merlin kept sneaking glances at Arthur, and, more often than not, found the other man’s eyes already on him.

*************

When they arrived in Becket, Merlin pulled into a car park behind a row of shops. They both got out and stretched a bit, and Arthur noticed that Merlin’s shirt was riding up exposing pale skin with a line of dark hair trailing down from his belly button. Arthur quickly looked away and focused on the pavement as they walked out into the main square. He had pushed those feelings aside for years, and he certainly didn’t need to focus on things like that, now. Merlin was his friend, and they were here on a quest.

“Well? Now what?”

Now that they were here, Arthur was ready for a bit of action. Even if it wouldn’t involve danger or fighting like most of the quests they had completed in Camelot. Merlin seemed to be in no hurry, however, strolling casually and peering into the window of each shop they passed.

So Arthur prompted him, “What do you need to do to unearth this sorcerer? Perform a ritual? Should we find a hidden spot where you can incant a spell or… What?”

Merlin clearly thought Arthur was crazy by the look he gave him.

“Sorry. Nothing quite so dramatic. Let’s just walk around town. Pop into a few shops. Maybe grab some lunch in a bit.”

Arthur nearly growled in frustration. What kind of quest was this? Surely there was some urgency to find the person before they accidently turned someone into a frog or something.

Sensing Arthur’s impatience, Merlin turned to him and gently caught his wrist. “I’m sorry, Arthur. I know you’re used to more action and excitement, but there really is no way to rush this. I need to spend a bit of time here now that we’re close. Feel things out. Then I’ll just know who to approach.”

With a heavy sigh that only contained a small growl, Arthur ground out, “Fine. Let’s have a stroll about town, shall we?”

Merlin’s answering grin did manage to lessen his frustration, and after an hour of wandering the streets of shops, offices and homes, Arthur was perfectly happy just laughing, chatting and exploring all the new sights with his old friend. They found a small café with outdoor seating and were just about to start eating, when two things happened in quick succession.

First, Merlin went pale, dropped his sandwich and gripped the edges of the table. Arthur was just about to ask him what was wrong, when they heard a scream pierce the air. Immediately their eyes met, and they leapt from their seats, running toward the sound.

In an alleyway beside the café were three young men, one lying on the ground against the brick wall, apparently unconscious. The larger of the other two teens was shoving a very thin, very frightened looking boy against the opposite wall and shouting at him.

“What did you do? How did you do that? You killed him, you little faggot!” He pressed his hand to the boy’s throat.

“Hey! Stop!” Arthur shouted.

“Let him go.”

At the sight of the attacker, Arthur’s hand automatically flew to his side, though of course, he had no sword now, but Merlin simply strode forward speaking in a calm, but menacing voice. Just seeing the two men approaching caused the bully to release his victim. The boy he had been holding against the wall slumped to the pavement, gasping for air. Merlin immediately knelt beside him, leaned down to look into his eyes and asked if he was okay.

The larger boy tried to run, but Arthur caught him and bent his arm behind his back. The young man tried to fight his way free, but Arthur held him firmly in place.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just need to know what happened here.” Arthur was in his element now. The king commanding his prisoner to plead his case. Arthur released his captive, but he maintained a strong stance to let the boy know that running away or fighting back was not a smart option.

The young man pointed an accusing finger at the boy Merlin was tending to. “He attacked us! Just look what he did to Ethan. He threw him against that wall and broke his neck or something.”

Arthur looked at the young man on the ground and back to the one before him. They were both tall and quite solid. Then he looked at the young teenager who still sat trembling on the ground.

“I know what you’re thinking! He’s just a scrawny little poof, but…” Now the boy actually looked frightened. “He did something. He put his hands out, and Ethan just went flying.”

Now Arthur’s eyes flew to Merlin’s who just gave an almost imperceptible nod. So this boy was the sorcerer they had been searching for. Merlin left the boy’s side and crossed to check on Ethan. Arthur held his breath, willing the young man to be all right. Merlin placed his hands on either side of Ethan’s head and was very still for several seconds, almost certainly performing healing magic. Then, all of a sudden, Ethan’s eyes flew open and he drew a sharp breath.

He looked toward his friend, confused. “Max? What happened?”

“It was Benjamin.” Max gestured toward the smaller boy with disdain. “He attacked you.”

For the first time, Benjamin spoke up. “No, I didn’t! I mean, I didn’t mean to. I thought he was going to kill me. I just… I don’t know what happened.”

It wasn’t hard for Arthur to work out what had happened here. The two larger boys were bullying Benjamin because they believed him to be gay, whether he was or not. They had used the seclusion of this alley to threaten him, and his magic reacted in a moment of fear. What Arthur didn’t know was how to get out of this situation in a way that would keep Benjamin safe and would not expose the existence of magic. Fortunately, Merlin, it seemed, had a lot of practice with this sort of thing.

“I can tell you what happened.” He stood and helped Ethan to stand as well. “There was a gas leak from the café next door. The fumes caused Ethan here to pass out. And they gave Max and Benjamin hallucinations.”

He gave Max a pointed look, and his voice was low and intense. “It’s a good thing we happened along before you did something you would regret. Now, clear out, before I do something I’ll regret.”

Max and Ethan scrambled out of the alley practically tripping over their own feet. Arthur could not keep the awe from his face as he turned to look at his magnificent friend. His heart was racing, and he did not for one minute believe it was from adrenaline. Merlin held his gaze of open adoration for a moment before turning back to the young sorcerer.

“Benjamin, my name is Merlin, and this is my friend, Arthur.” When the boy’s eyebrows came together, Merlin simply gave a quick wave of dismissal. “Yes, Merlin and Arthur. We know. Tell you what, come join us for lunch, and we’ll have a little chat. I’m guessing that wasn’t the first time you made something impossible happen.”

Benjamin’s eyes grew wide, but Merlin just chuckled and put his arm around the boy’s shoulders guiding him back toward the café. “Come on. You should probably be sitting down for this conversation.”

*************

Benjamin took the news that magic was real and that he was a sorcerer much better than Arthur expected. He seemed to know already that the things that he had made happen accidently in the last few days must be magic, but he had been feeling scared and alone. Hearing Merlin tell his own story of growing up with magic and having to hide it from almost everyone seemed to help reassure Benjamin, rather than discourage him. Arthur guessed that seeing how happy and confident Merlin was now let Benjamin know that he could live a normal life with magic. There would certainly be challenges, but it was possible.

After talking for a while at the café, they found a quiet spot in the local park where Merlin taught Benjamin a few simple spells and helped him learn a bit of control. He was nowhere near as powerful as Merlin, but after a couple of hours, he was able to move an object a few feet without touching it, and he once managed to light a pile of twigs on fire without a match.

He accompanied Merlin and Arthur back to their car where Merlin had a book of spells to give him. Benjamin kept asking questions and seemed reluctant to let them leave, so with a knowing smile, Merlin gave him one more piece of advice.

“It’ll really help you if you have one or two friends or family members with whom you can share this. I don’t know what I would have done without my guardian. I could just be myself around him and talk to him without filtering everything I said.” Merlin put his hand on Benjamin’s shoulder. “Do you have anyone you really trust?”

Benjamin thought for a moment. “I’m not sure I should tell my dad. He doesn’t react well to people being different.”

Merlin nodded sympathetically and kept his reassuring touch on the young sorcerer’s shoulder. “Maybe a good friend? Or a brother? Sister?”

“I could probably talk to Mr. Edwards. He’s my lit teacher, and he’s really cool.” Benjamin looked a little shyly at Merlin before continuing. “He was the first person I came out to. And he helped me a lot with all that. Especially when my dad…”

Benjamin was suddenly fascinated with a spot on the car where the paint was chipped. He poked at it a bit before he just shrugged a little and shook his head. Arthur certainly understood the desperate need of a son to please his father and how it could crush you to feel you did not have his approval.

“Well then. Maybe you can talk to Mr. Edwards about magic, too.” Merlin smiled. “I’ll check in from time to time, and you’ve got my mobile number, so please call me or text me anytime.”

Arthur chimed in with some advice of his own. “Be sure to practice those subtle defensive spells Merlin showed you. I don’t want idiots like Ethan and Max messing with you anymore.”

Benjamin promised he would practice and reached out to shake Arthur’s hand. When he turned to say good-bye to Merlin, he started to put out his hand, but then changed his mind and simply threw his arms around Merlin, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you.” His voice broke a little on the words, but he continued. “I’m so glad you came today. You probably saved my life in more ways than one.”

He released his hold on Merlin and stepped back, his eyes sparkling with a glimmer of confidence and hope.

“I had really started to believe that I was some sort of freak. I had no idea anyone else had magic like me. And I’ve never met another gay man before, either. So meeting you…” Benjamin had to take a deep breath to steady his voice. “Thanks for showing me that it’s okay to be who I am.”

As they drove away and Arthur waved a final good-bye to the young sorcerer, he realized that Merlin had not corrected Benjamin when he referred to him as a gay man. Then he realized it was possible that Benjamin had assumed that Merlin and Arthur were a couple.

For the rest of the trip, he tried to decide whether or not to ignore the fluttery feeling in his stomach that resulted from these realizations.


	3. Chapter 3

For several days after their trip to meet Benjamin, Merlin noticed that Arthur was quieter than usual. He knew that Arthur had been impressed seeing how he handled Ethan and Max, but maybe seeing him train Benjamin in basic magic skills had made Arthur uncomfortable. He thought they had reached a point where Arthur was fine with Merlin performing magic, but perhaps seeing him share his magic with another magical person was still too much.

One evening, after a particularly silent dinner, the two friends sat in the living room, Arthur on the couch, surfing the web on Merlin’s laptop and Merlin on the chair, reading. Arthur finally broke the silence with a question.

“You weren’t alone for all those years, were you, Merlin?”

Merlin didn’t quite look up from his book. “What do you mean?”

“Did you ever get married? Have a family?”

Now, Merlin looked up and met Arthur’s eyes. His breath almost caught at the raw openness he saw. He wondered what brought on these questions.

“No. I never married. No family.”

Arthur looked sad. “But surely you’ve had… lovers.”

Chuckling, Merlin answered. “Well, you don’t have to be married for that, do you?”

With a dismissive shake of his head, Arthur continued. “You know what I mean. Have you had long-term relationships? Not just sex, but someone to share your life with?”

Merlin could tell that this wasn’t just idol curiosity. The thought of him being alone really seemed to bother Arthur. Merlin stared at his friend for a moment before answering, partly because he wasn’t sure whether his answer would reassure Arthur or not. And partly because he wondered if Arthur had a particular reason for bringing this up tonight.

“Of course I’ve had relationships over the years. Although, not quite like a marriage. The longest was, I believe, about seven years.”

“That’s not very long.” Arthur didn’t say this mockingly. His eyes were filled with genuine sorrow. “You said you’ve lived more than twenty lifetimes. Why wouldn’t you want to share some of those lifetimes with someone?”

Merlin looked intently at Arthur and sighed. He hadn’t done the relationship thing often. Too many secrets to keep. Too much to lose. How could he explain that it was just easier to be alone?

“Because it hurts.” Merlin spoke honestly. He couldn’t hold his emotions back with Arthur looking at him that way. “There have only been a handful of people I trusted enough to tell about my magic. And even those never knew that I’m immortal. I never told them who I really am. That I’m THE Merlin. King Arthur’s Merlin.”

He smiled, then, but Arthur did not return his smile. He still watched Merlin with such pain on his face that Merlin had to look down. He fidgeted with the cover of his book.

“There were a few people I trusted enough that I know I could have told them everything. But I always held back.” Even without looking at Arthur, he knew his brow would be furrowed in worry and he would probably ask Merlin why he held back. But Arthur surprised him.

“You keep saying people.”

Confused, Merlin’s eyes lifted. “What?”

“Just people. You’re not being specific. The people you had relationships with… were they women or men?”

He knew Arthur had heard Benjamin refer to Merlin as a gay man, and he hadn’t denied it, but since neither of them had mentioned it since, Merlin wasn’t sure what Arthur thought of that. Now, he searched Arthur’s eyes but found no judgment there. In fact, he almost looked… hopeful? Merlin’s heart started beating a little faster, but he couldn’t dare allow himself to hope.

“Mostly men.”

He searched Arthur’s eyes again, but they still held no judgment. He simply nodded acknowledgment. Apparently, that was the answer Arthur had expected to hear. Or… had hoped to hear? But again Merlin stopped that dangerous line of thinking.

“So if you loved and trusted these men, why hold back?”

Merlin huffed. “Can you imagine spending a lifetime with someone, growing old with them, only to watch them die? And then you don’t just have to go on without them for another ten or twenty years, you have to go on forever. I couldn’t face that.”

“But surely if you love someone with all your heart, the pain would be worth it. Even if you have to live on without him, at least you would have had all those years together.”

Merlin shrugged noncommittally, but Arthur leaned forward, almost pleading with him. “Love always comes with pain. Anytime you give your heart to someone, you take a risk. I’ve seen the way you care for people, Merlin. Friends, family, strangers. You have always had such a good heart. It makes me sad that in nearly 1500 years you never found someone you could love completely.”

Merlin swallowed hard, wanting both to hold back and to confess everything at the same time. One quick glance at Arthur’s pleading blue eyes, though, and his decision was made. He whispered, “There was one.”

“Only one?” Arthur was almost whispering now, too.

“Only one, Arthur.” He held Arthur’s gaze just as he had so many times both in Camelot and recently, trying to convey with his eyes exactly how much Arthur meant to him. Though Merlin smiled slightly, no emotion showed on Arthur’s face. He seemed to be processing this new revelation, and Merlin certainly didn’t want to push him away. So, after a few seconds, he gave his friend an out. “It wasn’t like that, though. We were just good friends. He was married.”

Merlin smiled again, and lowered his voice to emphasize the absolute truth of his next statement. “And I know he loved his wife with all his heart.”

At this, Arthur finally smiled and nodded agreement. Merlin watched him for a bit longer, and Arthur’s smile slowly faded, and he simply looked thoughtful. He didn’t ask Merlin any more questions, and his gaze returned to the computer screen, though his hands did not touch the keys. After a few minutes, Merlin decided that Arthur wasn’t going to discuss this topic any further tonight. Perhaps not ever. So Merlin got up from his chair and headed toward his bedroom.

“Good night, Arthur.” He chanced a brief touch of Arthur’s shoulder as he passed, but he received only a slight grunt in response.

He had almost reached the door to his room when he felt Arthur’s hand on his arm spinning him around. Arthur’s eyes were a little wild, and he spoke with a strange urgency.

“The man that you loved. Do you think that maybe, even though he did love his wife… That maybe he loved you, too, but he was afraid to acknowledge those feelings, even to himself, because he believed such things were wrong.”

Merlin could barely speak, because his heart was thumping wildly in his throat, but he managed a soft, “It’s possible, I suppose.”

Now Arthur’s lips curved into a beautiful lopsided smile. “And do you still love him?”

Merlin had to laugh at the absurdity of this question coming from the man who had possessed his heart since he was a young man so many years ago, but he soon sobered. “More than ever.”

And then finally, Arthur’s lips were on his. Arthur’s hands were on his hips and then around his waist pulling him closer. His own hands raised to touch Arthur’s cheeks, his neck, his hair. Merlin felt completely overwhelmed and tears spilled out even as he parted his lips to deepen the kiss. Arthur pulled back, though, and brushed his thumb across Merlin’s now moist cheek. His eyes twinkled gently, but before he could tease Merlin for being a girl’s petticoat, Merlin gripped Arthur’s head with both hands.

“Fifteen hundred years, Arthur.” He breathed out a laugh, leaned his forehead against Arthur’s and whispered, “I have loved you for almost fifteen hundred years.”

Arthur did not tease him, then. Instead, with an intensity in his eyes usually reserved for the battlefield, he pressed Merlin against the wall and kissed him with an urgency that left Merlin gasping with desire.

Later that night, long after Arthur had fallen asleep, Merlin found himself unable to relax. He lay pressed against the man he loved, his arm draped over his chest feeling the rise and fall of each slow breath. He should feel content. He had everything he had ever wanted. Arthur was alive and safe. And he loved Merlin. But Merlin could not help wondering what brought Arthur back. What danger was coming that would raise the Once and Future King from his rest in Avalon? He had told Arthur once that peace is always brief, and in the stillness of his bedroom with his beloved king sleeping quietly next to him, Merlin worried what threat was looming to end this serenity.

*************

He watched her sleeping soundly in her bed, her blond hair falling slightly over her face, one arm curled under her pillow. This was the woman who had given birth to him and had given him up for adoption when he was only two years old. He watched her sleeping and felt nothing but hatred. He had slipped into her flat in the quiet of the early morning without arousing her from her slumber. Locked doors had never been a problem for him.

He had always known he was adopted. His older siblings and his schoolmates never let him forget that although he lived in the same large home, went to the same exclusive schools and dressed in the same posh clothing, he did not belong. He was not one of them.

Even his adoptive parents never quite treated him the same as their biological children. Oh, they bought him plenty of clothes, toys and electronic gadgets. They paid for his education. But they were more likely to make excuses when one of their own children got in trouble.

When his brother and sister caused problems at school, it was always, “She didn’t get enough sleep last night.” “That teacher doesn’t know what he’s doing.” “The other boy must have started it.”

But when he got in trouble, all he heard was “Must be something in the genes, because I know you didn’t learn that kind of behaviour from us.”

When he was a small child, he used to dream that one day, his birth mother would come for him and take him back to his real home. That perhaps she had just fallen on hard times when he was a toddler, but as soon as she was able, she would rescue him from this dreadful family.

As he grew older, though, he realized that his mother was probably just a pointless drug addict, sleeping around and living on the dole. That’s why he had been so angry when he found his parents’ adoption records and discovered that his mother was an executive who lived in the West End. She had plenty of money to afford a child when she gave him up. Clearly she simply hadn’t wanted him.

He suspected he knew why, too. Magic. Ever since he was little, he could make things happen. Small things at first. He could move objects without touching them. He could unlock doors without a key. But after a while, he realized that he could hurt people, too. He could trip a child who teased him. He could put a small kink in the back of a teacher who scolded him.

His birth mother must have realized he had these strange powers and wanted nothing to do with him. So he had grown up hiding his magic. He wasn’t sure how his family would react, but he wanted neither to be studied nor to be put out on the street.

Or perhaps his birth mother had the same abilities. Perhaps his parents had been right all along and both his behaviour and his abilities were entirely ruled by genetics.

And now, he stood in the bedroom of the woman who might have answers for him. Might be able to explain why he was this way and why she couldn’t bear to keep him.

“Wake up!” When he shouted, she startled awake and tried to scream, but, holding out one hand, he wrapped his magic around her neck and prevented her from making a sound.

“You know who I am?”

Her eyes grew wide, and she nodded slightly, so he pulled back on his magic a bit to loosen the grip around her neck. But he didn’t release her completely.

“Why am I like this?” He asked her, keeping his voice low and even. “Do you have magic, too?”

She tried to talk, but only coughed and sputtered. He pulled back a bit more, so his hold on her throat was barely there. Just enough to let her know that if she screamed or tried to run, he would hurt her. Tears spilled from her eyes, but he wasn’t sure if they were from pain, fear or guilt. He hoped all three.

“Yes. I have magic.” Her voice was thin and watery. “Although, I think, not nearly as strong as yours.”

“Was that why you got rid of me? Were you afraid of having someone around with more power than you? Did you think you couldn’t control a child with magic like mine?”

She shook her head as adamantly as she could with his magic pressing around her neck. “No! I wanted to protect you!”

“From you? You can’t hurt me.” And he squeezed his magic harder just to prove to her his strength.

Her hands flew to her throat and tried to pry the invisible noose away. But, of course, she couldn’t. After she stopped struggling, he pulled back again, enabling her to talk.

“Your father. I had to protect you from your father.” He felt his magic slip a bit. Who was his father and why did he need protection from him?

“I have a bit of magic, but your father is quite powerful. Actually, he’s quite a powerful person even without his magic. He works for the government. We were never really a couple. We met through a mutual friend, went on a few dates and, well…”

She shrugged with a sheepish look.

“I never asked anything from him, but he did come round a few times when you were a baby. He was unhappy in his job at the time and angry with the government. He kept talking about leading a magical revolution. He scared me. So when you starting doing magic at such a young age, I knew he would try to use you in his war. I had to keep you away from him. And the only way I knew to do that was to give you up.”

His blood boiled as she talked. Who was she to decide whether he would know his father or not? He could have grown up in a family where he didn’t have to hide his magic. Where he would be accepted for who he was.

“Tell me who he is.” She shook her head and, as he looked into her eyes, he seethed with anger. He was shaking with it, losing control. “Give me his name!”

Still she denied him. He wanted to punish her for sending him away to such a painful childhood, for keeping him from a mother and father who would have understood him. So he gave a large push of his magic, squeezing harder than before. He felt it crushing her throat, but he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted her to hurt. She deserved it for sending away her child. One more hate-filled push and her neck snapped, her body slumping to the bed.

*************

Exactly one week after Arthur had first kissed Merlin, he was jarred awake early in the morning by Merlin bolting upright in bed breathing heavily. He sat up and placed his hand in the middle of Merlin’s back, rubbing gently, and felt him trembling. Inching closer, Arthur wrapped his arm all the way around Merlin and leaned forward to see his face.

“What is it, Merlin? Bad dream?”

Merlin shook his head. “No. That was… magic. Powerful magic. And vindictive.”

He looked at Arthur, eyes wide in horror. “I think he killed someone.”

“Who? Who killed someone?” Arthur spoke evenly trying to help Merlin calm down.

“I don’t know. It’s…”

Merlin closed his eyes, took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing gold, darting back and forth as if he were searching for something. Arthur kept very still, his arm wrapped around Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin’s trembling was gone now that he was focused on tracking down this malicious sorcerer.

After almost a full minute of magical probing, Merlin whispered a quick, “Gotcha.”

He jumped up from bed and grabbed both their pants and trousers from the floor where they had been tossed aside in the haste of passion the previous night. He tossed Arthur’s to him and started stepping into his own.

“We need to go quickly. He’s in London, but he won’t stay in place for long. I know he felt me reaching out to find him.” Merlin continued dressing hastily as he spoke, so Arthur followed his lead, scrambling off the bed to pull up his trousers.

“He’s powerful. More powerful than any sorcerer I’ve met in hundreds of years.”

Arthur stepped into the bedroom he had been using before this week to grab a clean shirt and some socks, but he called back to Merlin, “Is this the first time his magic showed up? Did you know about him before?”

Merlin paused in the doorway now fully dressed. “No, but it’s weird. He already has control of his abilities. It’s like… someone’s been hiding him from me.”

“Another sorcerer?” Arthur asked as he tied his shoes. “But wouldn’t you have sensed that?”

“Not necessarily.” Merlin looked thoughtful. “Not if their intent wasn’t malicious. Perhaps they thought they were protecting him from something.”

Shaking his head, as if to clear it, Merlin nodded to Arthur. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

As they walked side by side from their flat to the railway station, Arthur could not help feeling a bit exhilarated. He had spent all these weeks since he awoke by the lake learning about the modern world and the history that led Britain to this point, and he knew that learning these things was necessary. But Arthur was a knight and a king. He was used to more action and was becoming restless with this sedentary life.

Leaving home at first light to track down an unknown enemy with Merlin at his side reminded Arthur so much of the old days in Camelot. Perhaps this was why he had returned. To rid the world of this evil. To make the people of his kingdom safe once more. He smiled a bit sadly to himself as they walked. All that was missing were his knights.

*************

Arthur was attracting too much attention. He wasn’t doing it on purpose, Merlin knew. And really, he was handling it very well, but he kept stopping in the middle of the pavement and gaping at the massive size of the buildings, the crowds, the traffic, the lights. Honestly, considering he had only lived in the 21st century for a few weeks and had only ever seen London in photographs and on television, Merlin thought Arthur was handling his first visit to such a large city extremely well. Still, people were starting to point and snicker.

With a small chuckle, Merlin grabbed Arthur’s hand and pulled him forward. He didn’t drop his hand once Arthur picked up his pace. Partly, because they did need to keep moving quickly without stopping to stare at each new sight, but mostly because it just felt good to walk hand in hand with the man he loved.

“This won’t be like when we found Benjamin, will it?” Arthur asked as they walked quickly away from the railway station. “London is too big to just wander around feeling out the sorcerer.”

“No, but I don’t need to do that this time.” Without pausing in his walk or his conversation, Merlin reached out his magic and gave a slight pull to the backpack of a teenager in front of them who was texting and about to step into the street in front of an oncoming car. “I know exactly where he is.”

Arthur looked surprised. “How?”

“I told you that he is extremely powerful. Now that he’s not being hidden, and we’re this close, I can feel his magic calling out to me like a beacon.” A malicious, power-seeking beacon, Merlin left out.

But Arthur must have seen the worry cross his face, because he squeezed his hand and pulled him closer. “We’ll find him. We’ll stop him from hurting anyone else.”

With a grateful nod, Merlin squeezed Arthur’s hand in return. “It’s just a few more blocks. Maybe when we talk to him we can…”

Merlin stopped abruptly, because the pull of magic was gone. The beacon had blinked out. “No…”

He dropped Arthur’s hand and took a few steps, spinning around aimlessly, reaching out with his magic in all directions. “No, no, no.”

“Merlin? Has he killed again?” Arthur’s voice was tight.

“He’s gone.”

“Gone? Just like that? What happened? Is he dead?” Surrounded by people, Arthur had the good sense to step closer and speak quietly. “Did someone else get to him first?”

“I’m not sure.” Placing his hands on Arthur’s arms to steady himself, Merlin focused all his magical energy on the location from which the sorcerer they had been tracking had disappeared. He knew he must look ridiculous to passersby, standing frozen in the middle of the pavement with his eyes closed, practically being held up by another man. But at this moment, he didn’t care about attracting attention. He needed to find that sorcerer.

“There.” Merlin murmured, so only Arthur could hear him. “He’s not dead. There’s another sorcerer with him. Not as strong, though. Hmm…”

Merlin suddenly understood what had happened. But there was no time to lose.

“Come on!” Merlin pulled on Arthur’s arm and broke out into a run, explaining as they went. “He’s being hidden again, but the reason has changed. This time, whoever is hiding him is doing it for personal gain. We need to get to them while they’re still together.”

Merlin and Arthur darted and weaved through the crowd until they arrived at a large office building from which Merlin felt the second source of magic he had identified. As they ran into the lobby and toward the lifts, Arthur asked him which floor.

“This magic is weaker, so it’s hard to pinpoint.” Merlin focused again for just a moment. “Tenth floor. I think. Give or take a floor.”

Arthur gave him an exasperated look, and Merlin shrugged in apology. As soon as a lift arrived, they stepped in and Arthur punched the button for ten, but unfortunately, as they passed between the fourth and fifth floors, the faint magical trace of the second sorcerer blinked out as well.

Merlin swore and smacked the wall in frustration. At Arthur’s confused look, he explained. “I lost him. They knew I was coming, I think. Now both of their magic is being concealed.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” Of course, Arthur could not simply give up in the face of a challenge.

But Merlin shook his head. “We could try talking to people on the ninth, tenth and eleventh floors. I might be able to detect a concealment spell if I were face to face with the person casting it, but I’m guessing both sorcerers are fleeing the building even as we speak.”

They arrived on the tenth floor, and just as Arthur was about to press the button to return to the lobby, Merlin put his hand out to stop him.

“Wait.” Merlin gestured with his head for Arthur to follow him out of the lift. “Let’s find out if there’s a listing of everyone who works on this floor. And maybe the ones above and below.”

He walked up and down the hallway looking for any signs with a directory of offices or employees. Aha! Luck was finally on his side! He scanned the list quickly looking for any familiar name.

“There!” He pointed at the sign and smiled slyly at Arthur. “I’ve been tracking and helping new sorcerers for years. The man in office 1021, Gregory Hearn. I remember visiting him in my previous lifetime when he was a teenager. He must be in his fifties by now. His magic was actually quite strong compared to what I’ve seen for the last few centuries, although, nowhere near as strong as the sorcerer I felt this morning. But he would be strong enough to cast a decent concealment.”

“Well, let’s see if he’s in his office, shall we?” Arthur immediately started walking toward office 1021, and Merlin had to smile. Poor Arthur really had been dying for some action since his return.

Unfortunately for Arthur, Gregory was not in his office and did not return for the rest of the day. So Merlin and Arthur checked into a room at a nearby hotel to visit again the next morning in case he returned to work then.

*************

“Merlin.” Arthur rolled over and rested his chin on Merlin’s shoulder. “You’re thinking too loud. It’s keeping me awake.”

“Sorry.” Merlin murmured as he planted a kiss in Arthur’s hair. “I’m just frustrated that we didn’t get to the sorcerer in time. I don’t want him to hurt anyone else.”

He turned on his side and looked into Arthur’s eyes. “And what could his connection be with Gregory Hearn? How did he convince him to hide his magic so quickly?”

Obviously, Arthur was not meant to answer these questions, but he still felt helpless. There wasn’t much for him to do in this process of tracking down sorcerers. He reached up and stroked his thumb along the side of Merlin’s face, tracing his prominent cheekbone and then rubbing his even more prominent ear.

“We’ll try his office again in the morning. Perhaps Gregory Hearn will be a reasonable man, and we can talk him out of whatever he is planning. Try not to think about it anymore tonight.”

Merlin snorted. And Arthur knew that he would need a distraction to free his mind of these worrying thoughts. Well, another one, anyway. They had already enjoyed one rather pleasant distraction that evening.

“Tell me a story.” Arthur smiled as Merlin raised his eyebrows skeptically. “You know all those times Gaius told me you were spending the day in the tavern? I know you were off doing some hocus pocus to save Camelot. So tell me about one of those times.”

He slid his hand down Merlin’s arm and tangled their fingers together for a moment before he rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

“Even if you can’t get any sleep tonight, I’d like to. So tell me a story of Merlin the hero. That ought to put me right to sleep.”

He smirked when Merlin playfully shoved his shoulder, but then he felt Merlin relax as he also lay down on his back next to Arthur. Merlin reached for Arthur’s hand between them and pressed their palms together, fingers entwined. As Merlin began his tale of the fire-breathing Chimera that had terrorized several of the outlying villages, Arthur remembered that he had been annoyed that Merlin was nowhere to be found as he and his knights set out to fight the creature. But they never even saw the Chimera, as it had disappeared mysteriously before they arrived. Merlin was a good storyteller, and the tale made Arthur feel nostalgic for the days of fighting simpler foes like magical beasts rather than unseen sorcerers or traitorous sisters. Merlin’s voice was, however, quite soothing as he wove his tale, and his skin was comfortably warm pressed against Arthur’s. Arthur hoped he would be able to stay awake for the whole story.

*************

Gregory Hearn did not return to his office the next day. Or the day after that. Merlin and Arthur spent the first day discreetly staking out the office. But by the second day, they decided discretion took a back seat to finding out more information about Mr. Hearn. So they talked with his colleagues and his boss, none of whom had heard from him since that first day Merlin and Arthur had arrived in London.

They discovered that he lived alone, had never been married, was very good at what he did, but was known for having a short temper. He worked in PR for an insurance company, but he had previously managed the campaigns of several prominent politicians. When it became clear that Gregory Hearn would not be returning to work anytime soon, Arthur distracted one of the women working in human resources, while Merlin used a bit of magic to get past the password protection to find Gregory’s home address in the company database.

He lived in a very nice high-rise not too far away from his office. Clearly he had money and was keen to show it off. Merlin rang the bell, and they waited. Impatient when they received no answer, Arthur rapped hard on the door several times. Still no answer.

Merlin glanced up and down the hallway to make sure no one was in sight. “I don’t usually do this, but I feel like finding and stopping this murderous sorcerer qualifies as an emergency.”

Putting out his hand, he spoke a single word, and the door unlocked. Arthur turned the knob and, cautiously, they stepped inside.

“Hello?” Merlin called out. “Gregory Hearn?”

The flat contained very upscale furnishings, but it had an oddly sterile feel. Merlin and Arthur exchanged a look and split up to explore. Arthur walked toward the bedroom, and Merlin entered the kitchen. There were no appliances sitting on the counters. Not a toaster, not a tea kettle, not a coffee maker. When he opened the cupboards, they were mostly empty. As was the refrigerator. Either Gregory Hearn primarily ate out, or he had vacated his home in a hurry.

“Merlin! There aren’t any clothes in his wardrobe.” Arthur joined Merlin in the kitchen. “There’s not even a toothbrush by the sink. I think he moved out.”

“Looks like it.” Merlin agreed. “So he left his job and his flat. I think he knows we’re trying to find him. They’re already hiding their magic from me. Now, they’ve gone into hiding completely.”

“Sounds like they’ve got something to hide.” Arthur’s voice was wary.

Overcome with frustration, Merlin pounded both fists on the counter. “Damn it! We were so close!”

Arthur slipped behind Merlin, wrapped his arms around him and placed his chin on Merlin’s shoulder.

“We’ll find them. There’s no point in beating yourself up now.” When he spoke, his low voice curled comfortingly into Merlin’s ear. “Is there maybe some way you can get around the concealment spell? Get them to show themselves?”

Merlin twisted in Arthur’s arms, so they were face to face, but he kept close, resting his own arms atop Arthur’s. He looked at Arthur’s chest as he spoke.

“I would probably feel it if he used his magic to kill again.” Merlin let his head drop to rest on Arthur’s chest. “But I don’t want to let it get that far.”

He sighed as Arthur stroked his hair. “I don’t suppose you can predict the future, can you?”

Suddenly Merlin pulled back and looked directly at Arthur, eyes wide.

“You mean you can?” Arthur was astounded. “Damn, Merlin. Are you sure you’re not a demon?”

Merlin huffed out a laugh. “No, I can’t predict the future myself. But there is a place we can go.”

He trailed off, unsure whether to continue. Interpreting visions from the Crystal Cave was tricky. He had not often succeeded in stopping their version of the future. And sometimes, the actions he took to prevent the prophecies he had seen only caused the events to occur. Arthur raised his eyebrows expectantly, though, and Merlin decided that perhaps any action would be better than no action. And he hadn’t visited the cave in centuries. Surely all these years of experience would be of benefit.

“We need to go to the Crystal Cave.”

Arthur scoffed. “That’s a real place?”

“It’s real.” Merlin leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Arthur’s lips. “Now, let’s go check out of our posh hotel and purchase some sleeping bags. It’ll take us a couple of days to get there, and unfortunately, there aren’t any roads.”

He received a groan and a playful swat across his shoulder, but when he grinned, Arthur grinned right back. This was familiar territory. The king and the sorcerer on a quest in the wilderness.

*************

As they trekked through the woods, Merlin explained to Arthur about his experiences with the Crystal Cave. When he talked about his first time visiting the cave and the visions he had seen and the actions he had taken to prevent those visions, Arthur stopped walking and just stared at Merlin with his mouth slightly open.

“I remember that.” He breathed. “Morgana falling down the stairs. That was horrible. We thought she was going to die.”

He looked at Merlin with shock in his eyes. “You did that. To save my father. A man who would have killed you in a heartbeat if he had known what you were.”

“It wasn’t time for him to die, yet, Arthur.” Merlin took a few steps back to take Arthur’s hand in his. “You weren’t ready.”

Arthur nodded, but his focus was still in the past. “Morgana recovered, though. It was like a miracle.” He looked into Merlin’s eyes, almost frightened.

“Was it her magic that saved her?”

Squeezing Arthur’s hand and stepping a bit closer, Merlin had to explain. “No, Arthur. It was mine.”

Arthur pulled back, confused.

“I couldn’t stand to watch your grief. And Gwen’s. And even Uther’s. I didn’t know yet, exactly what Morgana was capable of. So I forced Kilgharrah to give me the spell to save her.”

He felt Arthur’s hand go limp in his, and saw sorrow fill his eyes. Arthur spoke in a hushed voice, as if he did not fully accept the words coming out of his mouth.

“You should have let her die.”

But Merlin shook his head. Of this, he was certain. “No. It wasn’t time for her to die yet, either.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed in disbelief.

“I relived those days so many times after you died, Arthur. I wondered whether, if I had let her die, you would still be alive.” Merlin reached up and stroked his cheek. “But I truly believe that if I had let her die that day, you would never have become the king you were meant to be.”

He smiled sadly, and Arthur’s eyes softened.

“Certainly, you and your father would both have been deeply affected by her loss, but the loss you suffered later by her betrayal lead you to be a stronger leader. You were always so trusting and loyal, which is a strength, to be sure. But Morgana’s and even Agravaine’s deceit, enabled you to take a step back and be just cautious enough in forging relationships with other kingdoms. You needed that experience to build a strong Camelot and a peaceful Albion.”

Arthur still looked skeptical, but he swallowed hard and motioned for Merlin to continue toward the cave. They walked on, but Merlin decided to wait until they made camp to tell Arthur the story about meeting both Morgana and his own father there when he went to regain his powers on the eve of the battle at Camlann.

*************

They stood before what appeared to be a solid wall of rock that Merlin declared was the entrance to the Crystal Cave. He had sealed it off years ago, because the crystals inside were too much of a temptation for sorcerers seeking power. Last night, Merlin had told many stories of this cave, but the one that had affected Arthur most was learning that when he and Gwen and the knights were heading off to battle the Saxons, when he had believed Merlin was too frightened to face the battle, Merlin had come here to regain his magic, taken from him by Morgana. As Merlin talked about meeting the spirit of his father and learning his true nature, his eyes shone, his face lit up and even the air around him seemed to glow.

Arthur’s throat felt tight. The memory of those days was so fresh in Arthur’s mind. He had been so disappointed in his manservant. Merlin was always by his side, no matter what horror they faced. To see him hide away from this fight had cut Arthur deeply. But now he learned that, although Merlin’s greatest strength had been taken from him, he would not give up. Even though it made him look a coward, he had done whatever it took to help Arthur face an impossible battle.

After that, Merlin had stoked the fire and set up bedrolls for both of them as Arthur simply stared, overcome with love for this astounding man. Merlin quipped that nothing had changed in all these years. He still had to do all the work around camp while Arthur just sat and watched. But, with a smirk and a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows, Arthur had pulled his bedroll next to Merlin’s and shown him exactly how much things had changed.

Now Arthur watched as Merlin raised both hands, spoke a few words in the language of the Old Religion, and blasted a hole in the solid stone wall before them.

“All right. Let’s go.” Merlin reached into his pocket, pulled out a torch and switched it on.

Arthur switched on his own torch, marveling once again at the ease of modern life, and gestured to his partner. “Lead the way, my friend.”

They picked their way through the narrow passageways going farther and farther below ground, Merlin instinctively choosing the correct path through many twists and turns, until they arrived at the mouth of what Arthur could tell, even in the dark, was a very large cavern. The moment Merlin stepped through the opening, however, the thousands of crystals lining the walls and floor began to glow with a shimmering bluish light.

“Welcome to the Crystal Cave, Arthur. The origin of all magic in Britain.” Merlin’s gaze wandered around the cavern, causing the crystals to brighten with each glance. He turned and grinned at Arthur expectantly. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

But Arthur could not take his eyes from the sorcerer before him. In the presence of such strong magic, Merlin seemed more at peace than Arthur had ever seen him. His face alight with wonder, his skin glowing, with the light of the crystals responding to his every movement.

“Breathtaking.” Arthur felt himself flush, overcome with awe once again at the man who wielded so much power, and yet had willingly spent years cleaning Arthur’s chambers and polishing his boots.

Merlin just snickered, embarrassed, and gave him a gentle shove. “Come on. Let’s get to work.”

He moved closer to the crystals and put out a hand toward them, focusing deeply. Arthur could not see the visions in the crystals. So he just watched Merlin turning slowly round and round, focusing his attention on different crystals, each of which flared, radiating light under the sorcerer’s gaze.

As Merlin delved deeper into the crystals, his brow began to furrow, his expression darkening with each new vision. His focus intensified and sweat broke out across his forehead and upper lip. Just when Arthur was beginning to worry about the safety of his friend, Merlin seemed to snap out of a haze. He looked at Arthur, terrified, and gasped, tears suddenly streaming down his cheeks.

“Arthur.” He breathed, stumbling a bit as he stepped forward, but Arthur was already moving toward him and caught him, gathering him into his arms.

“What is it?” Arthur was genuinely frightened, now. “What did you see?”

Merlin was trembling, but he took a deep breath to steady himself. When he looked up at Arthur, his face was haunted.

“He’s young. Probably early twenties. Gregory Hearn is his father, but he did not bring him up.” Merlin gave a frustrated sigh. “They met for the first time that day in Gregory’s office.”

Merlin still looked shaken as he looked directly at Arthur. “He’s going to become Prime Minister. At least twenty years from now, but they are making plans already. Gregory will magically manipulate everyone to love him. They’ll recruit other sorcerers from around the world. And once he’s in that position, they will use their magic to influence the minds of others, giving the Prime Minister more power than he should have.”

Hearing these words reminded Arthur of all the things Uther had taught him about magic and how it corrupted everyone it touched.

Merlin gripped Arthur’s arms tightly. “Arthur, they’re going to reveal the existence of magic. And they’ll incite sorcerers to rebel. They’ll portray it as a fight for freedom, but what they really want is power. A magical revolution.”

Anguish filled Merlin’s eyes and tears spilled out again. “I saw camps run by sorcerers meant to punish any who try to fight back. Like Hitler’s Germany right here in the United Kingdom. So much bloodshed. So many innocent lives lost.”

Arthur’s head was spinning. He felt as if his world had turned upside down. Since finding out about Merlin’s magic, he had come to believe that magic was not innately evil. But what if his father had been right all along? What if magic would eventually corrupt everyone who used it? But when he looked into the still weeping eyes of the man he held in his arms, he felt sick to his stomach for even thinking these thoughts.

“We’ll stop them, Merlin. We won’t let that happen.” Arthur moved his hands to Merlin’s shoulders, gripping them tightly to help focus both Merlin and himself.

“Of course we’ll stop them.” Merlin shook his head as if he could dislodge the images he had seen in the crystals, and just like that, the fear was gone from his face and voice, determination taking its place. “We need to get home. I have more resources there that I can use to track them down, now that I know some of their plans.”

He pulled away from Arthur and started walking quickly out the way they came in. But as he reached the edge of the large cavern, Merlin turned and gave Arthur a grateful smile.

“I’m glad you’re here, Arthur.”

Arthur caught up with his old friend, pulled his head toward him and planted a firm kiss on his temple.

“So am I.”

*************

Merlin had not told Arthur every detail of the visions he saw in the crystals. He told him that the followers of Gregory Hearn and his son would kill many who tried to fight them, and there was no need to describe every death he had seen. There was one, however, that Merlin had specifically not mentioned. In the crystals, he had seen Arthur slaughtered at the hand of the prime minister himself.

But now that Merlin knew this possible future, he would do everything in his considerable power to stop it. He would not watch Arthur die again. He would not.

After almost a week of being away, first to London, then trekking through the woods to and from the cave, and then a very long train ride back to Myrtle Hill during which Merlin could not stop reliving the visions he had seen, scouring each image for clues as to Gregory and his son’s whereabouts, Merlin was relieved to arrive back home. The stress of tracking down this powerful sorcerer was wearing him out. There were times when, despite his physical appearance, he felt his age. All 1500 years of it.

As he and Arthur entered their flat, Merlin wanted nothing more than to crash on the couch and not move for hours, but he had work to do. He dropped the supplies they had purchased for their days in the wilderness just inside the door and headed straight for his computer. He needed to find any information he could about Gregory Hearn’s background: jobs he held, friends, women he dated… anything that might lead them to the identity of his son. Merlin knew what the young man looked like and was able to piece together some information about his personality, both from the images in the crystals and from the flashes of emotion that were tied with the magic he had felt.

He must have heaved a weary sigh as he eased into the chair at his computer desk, because Arthur immediately came up behind him and started rubbing his shoulders.

“What can I do to help, Merlin?”

Arthur had some basic knowledge of computer use… he could perform a simple search and was able to determine which websites were trustworthy and which weren’t, but he simply did not yet have the skills (or the magical ability to bypass firewalls and security) for this kind of search. But Merlin knew the former king needed to be occupied and feel useful.

“Would you mind getting some dinner? There’s a bunch of menus…”

“In the drawer under the microwave.” Arthur finished for him. “I’ve been living here for almost three months now, Merlin. I’m very familiar with the take-away menus.”

“Sorry.” Merlin laughed a bit and then dug into his pocket for his debit card. “Here. Use this.”

He turned back to his search while Arthur flipped through the menus. The best place to start might be to look for any child support payments Gregory might have made over the years, although at the moment, he couldn’t even think of where to look for that information. He yawned and leaned forward to stretch his back. Too many hours on the train after several nights sleeping on the ground was getting to him.

“You look miserable.”

“I’d like to see any other 1500 year olds who look better.” Merlin grimaced at his own words. Not up to his usual quippy retort.

“You’ll be able to focus better if you get some rest, you know.” Arthur knelt on the floor beside him with a look of concern on his face.

Merlin smiled, thinking longingly of his bed. “I know. But the longer he’s out there, the more likely he is to hurt someone else.”

Placing a hand gently on Merlin’s arm, Arthur leaned forward to catch his eye. “Merlin. You said they were just beginning to make plans for the future. I doubt they’ll be starting with murder.”

Merlin closed his eyes with a deep sigh. Perhaps Arthur had a point. And really, his mind felt completely worn out after being so focused these last few days.

“Tell you what. Let me draw you a bath.” Merlin’s eyes flew open and he gave an involuntary scoff of disbelief. Arthur drawing a bath for him?

“Do you even know how to do that?” He couldn’t help teasing his king.

Arthur just swatted him across the shoulder and stood up. “I have many talents, Merlin, which you have yet to discover.”

Merlin leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of water running into the tub. Back in Camelot, he never would have believed Arthur to be so thoughtful and considerate. The Once and Future King was indeed full of surprises.

He was close to dozing off when a towel suddenly landed on his face. “There, you dollop head. Go soak in the tub for a bit while I pick up the food.”

Arthur was nearly out the door when Merlin spun the chair around and thanked him. With a smirk and a nod, Arthur left to get their dinner. Unable to move just yet, Merlin stared at the door for a few moments, reflecting on how well Arthur had adjusted to the modern world. He turned back toward the desk and grabbed a notepad, jotting down a note to himself to search Gregory Hearn’s bank records. Just as he got up to head to his bath, the door opened.

“You forget something?” Merlin turned, expecting to see Arthur. Rushing toward him, instead, was Gregory Hearn. His reaction time slowed from surprise and exhaustion, Merlin could do nothing as Gregory smothered him with a foul-smelling cloth. As Merlin lost consciousness, he only hoped Gregory had not got to Arthur first.

*************

“They have the best dumplings here, don’t they?”

“Hmm?” Arthur was waiting at the counter while his food was packaged up, when a young man came to stand beside him. “Oh, sure, I guess.”

“I’ve seen you around. You’re Dr. Emerson’s boyfriend, aren’t you?”

Arthur’s heart gave a little flip at his being referred to as Merlin’s boyfriend. He looked down, blushing, but he felt his lips turn up into a pleased smile. “Yes, I guess I am.”

“But you’re new to town. How long have you known each other?” The boy leaned over the counter looking for someone to take his order. He seemed only half-interested in the answer to his question.

But Arthur answered anyway. He would normally be more cautious, but he was quite tired himself, and the young man’s casual demeanor was disarming. “About ten years.”

Just then, the worker came up, and the young man placed his order. Arthur looked toward the door, hoping his own order would be ready soon. He was a little worried that Merlin might fall asleep in the bath.

“So how’d you two meet?”

The boy was now looking at him with a strangely intense gaze that put Arthur’s guard back up, so rather than answering, he turned back toward the kitchen pretending to be checking on his order.

But the boy stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. I just wondered whether Merlin had turned up at your door one day bringing life-changing news.”

Arthur froze. Could he mean…? He turned his head and saw the boy smiling sheepishly.

With a half-shrug, he whispered. “Because that’s how I met him.”

“You mean you have…?” Arthur waggled his fingers a bit, not wanting to give too much away, just in case the boy meant that Merlin had turned up to tell him that his mum had cancer or something.

With a wicked grin, the boy looked around, making sure no one was watching before he raised a hand toward the door. His eyes flashed golden, and the door flew open. Arthur let out a quick breath in surprise. He wondered why Merlin had never mentioned there was another sorcerer living in their town.

Still grinning a little excitedly, the boy nodded to Arthur and murmured quietly, “So you have magic, too?”

“No, sorry.” The boy looked confused at Arthur’s response. “It was just a few months ago that Merlin even told me his secret. But I know that he goes around helping sorcerers like you.”

“He’s pretty powerful, isn’t he?” The boy’s eyes were wide with awe. “I mean, I can just do a few parlor tricks, but Merlin…”

Arthur couldn’t help a warm grin of pride spreading across his face. “Yeah, he’s pretty amazing.”

Before they could discuss the marvel that was Arthur’s boyfriend any further, the worker brought Arthur’s order. He had probably ordered too much, but he was starving after four days in the wilderness, and plus, leftover Chinese in the fridge was never a bad thing. He gathered his bags and turned to the boy.

“Well, I better get back. Merlin’s waiting.” He shifted the bags to his left arm and stuck out his hand. “I’m Arthur, by the way.”

The boy smiled broadly and shook Arthur’s hand.

“I’m Nicholas.” There was an oddly overexcited gleam in his eye as he spoke. “Tell Merlin I said hi.”

*************

“Merlin! Food!” Arthur called out as he opened the door. Apparently he had forgotten to lock it on his way out. He really was tired. He began unloading the bags onto the table. “Come on! It’ll get cold.”

“You didn’t fall asleep in there, did you?” Arthur was only half teasing as he walked into the bathroom, but Merlin wasn’t in the tub. It was still full of water, though.

“Merlin?” He called out as he checked the other rooms, but Merlin was not in any of them. Where could he be? Surely if he had stepped out for something, he would have locked the door.

He tried ringing Merlin’s mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. Then he looked around for a note or some clue as to where Merlin had gone, but all he found was Merlin’s scrawled note reminding himself to check Gregory Hearn’s bank account. Then Arthur saw the towel he had thrown at Merlin earlier crumpled on the floor beside the computer desk. He leaned down to pick it up. It wasn’t even damp.

“Merlin.” Arthur whispered. “Where are you?”

He scoured the flat again, this time looking for anything that might have triggered Merlin’s hasty departure. And, although the thought made his blood run cold, he also looked for any sign of a struggle. He didn’t understand magic enough to know whether it was possible, but perhaps the evil sorcerer they had been tracking managed to find Merlin first.

When he found no indication inside the flat of Merlin’s whereabouts, he ran back down to the street, remembering to lock the door behind him this time. There were a few people walking about, enjoying the warm, late summer evening, but when he questioned them, none had seen either Merlin or any suspicious activity.

Arthur decided to check Merlin’s office. Perhaps he had remembered something he needed there. But when Arthur arrived, the office was dark and locked up tight. He banged on the door a few times, but Merlin was not there. Just as he turned around, though, Nicholas, the young man he met earlier that evening approached him from across the street.

“Arthur! Hello again!” Nicholas smiled warmly. “I thought you were heading home to eat.”

“I was…” Arthur swallowed hard. “I can’t find Merlin. He’s not at the flat or his office.”

Nicholas pursed his lips in concern. “Did you check the pub? Maybe he just popped in for a pint.”

Arthur didn’t believe Merlin would just randomly decide to forgo his bath and dinner to go out for a drink, but he allowed Nicholas to lead the way to the local pub, anyway. As they walked, Arthur noticed that he had started shivering, but it definitely wasn’t because he was cold. He had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He knew they wouldn’t find Merlin at the pub or anywhere else tonight. Something terrible had happened, and Arthur didn’t have any idea how to go about discovering what. He suddenly felt frightfully out of place and alone. He wished that Guinevere and his knights were here.

Holding the door of the pub open for Arthur, Nicholas asked, “Does Merlin do this often? Just disappear without telling you where he’s going?”

At that, Arthur paused and another type of chills ran through him. Because Merlin did have a history of disappearing without telling Arthur where he was going. Back in Camelot, he used to do just that. All the time. But surely he wouldn’t just take off now that Arthur knew about his magic? Surely he knew he didn’t have to hide anything from Arthur anymore.

He looked at Nicholas and gave him a hesitant, “No.”

“Sorry.” Nicholas put his hands up. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just something people do sometimes.”

But as Arthur considered this further, he felt more certain in his dismissal. “Merlin wouldn’t worry me like that.”

Of that Arthur was certain. So many things had changed since their days in Camelot as king and servant. It wasn’t just that Merlin didn’t have to hide his magic, it was that he knew now how much Arthur loved him, and he knew how distressed Arthur would be not knowing where Merlin was.

Arthur wasn’t sure whether to feel reassured by that or not, actually. Because it meant that the man he cared so much about was in genuine danger. He stared blankly around the pub, barely registering the few people who were there.

“Pub’s dead. He’s not here.” Nicholas declared. “Sorry, mate.”

Suddenly Arthur had a thought. “Can you sense other sorcerers?”

Nicholas cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Merlin can do this thing where he can sense if another person with magic is nearby. Pinpoint their location.” Arthur was talking quickly. This might be his only hope. “Can you feel the presence of other sorcerers?”

With a sympathetic shake of his head, Nicholas denied having that ability. “I’m sorry. I wish I could. It would be nice. Not only to help you find Merlin tonight, but I could sure use that skill to find out if there are any other sorcerers at university.”

He gave Arthur a half smile. “It gets kind of lonely keeping this secret. Sometimes I wish I had someone I could just be myself with.”

Normally Arthur would have felt some sense of regret for the boy whose face had fallen with a wistful sadness, but right now he could feel nothing. The situation seemed completely without hope.

“Well, thanks anyway. I better get home. See if I can figure out what happened.” Arthur’s voice sounded hollow to his own ears, as if he were listening to someone else talking from very far away.

Nicholas clapped him on the back before they parted. “I’m sure he’ll turn up.”

But Arthur felt no such surety.

*************

“…hold him for a while. The sedation seems effective at inhibiting his magic.”

Merlin tried to open his eyes but found that he couldn’t. He felt pain all over, and he couldn’t seem to lift his head. Or his arms. Or legs. And on top of all that, he was hearing voices.

“You can’t hide him here indefinitely. Are you going to kill him?”

No! Merlin tried to shout, but his mouth didn’t want to work. No one is killing anyone! But his efforts were useless. Not a sound escaped his throat.

“I’m not sure I want to kill him. When I last met him, he was an old man. Now look at him! He’s not much older than you are. His magic must be extremely powerful.”

Oh. So it was Merlin’s death they were discussing.

“What are you saying? Do you think we could get him on our side?”

Merlin decided that the voices he heard must belong to Gregory Hearn and his son. He still couldn’t open his eyes, but he could tell from the sound of their voices where they were standing relative to him. If he could direct a burst of magical energy in that direction, maybe he could knock them out long enough for whatever drugs they gave him to get out of his system.

“He might be a great asset to our cause. If we could find out more about him, we might be able to convince him. Or get some information we could use for blackmail. He changed his appearance, so he must be hiding something.”

Turning his concentration inward, Merlin tried to build enough magical energy to send a wave outside his body toward the two men holding him captive. But the drugs were making everything hazy, preventing him from focusing at all.

“Well, he lives with a man called Arthur.”

Merlin’s heart leapt at the mention of Arthur’s name.

“Right… We didn’t run a background check on him. Maybe we should find out more about this Arthur.”

Putting all his strength into fighting the paralyzing effect of the drugs, Merlin managed to make a strangled sound.

“He’s coming around! We can’t let him access his magic. Give him another injection. Quick!”

Merlin felt a prick on the inside of his elbow, and as he felt himself slide once more from consciousness, he focused everything he had on just one thought.

Arthur.

*************

“Arthur!”

“Merlin!” Arthur sat up straight on the couch where he had finally fallen asleep in the wee hours of the morning. “Merlin?”

But he was still alone. He must have been dreaming, he decided as he rubbed his head which felt fuzzy from worry and exhaustion. But he could not go back to sleep. He had to find Merlin. But where to start?

At the sound of a knock, Arthur bounded to the door and threw it open. “Merlin?”

But it was Nicholas holding out a cup of coffee and a box from the bakery. Arthur buried his face in his hands and turned to the side allowing the young man to enter the flat.

“Sorry, mate, it’s only me.” He set the box on the table and offered Arthur the coffee. “Thought you probably had a rough night and might need some caffeine.”

Grateful, Arthur took the offered coffee and sank into a chair at the table. He took a couple of sips and then set the cup down onto the table. “I don’t know what to do.”

He sighed and looked up at Nicholas. “He could be anywhere. What can I do?”

“I’m guessing you checked around for a note or something.” When Arthur nodded, Nicholas walked over to the computer desk on the edge of the living room. “Is this your computer or his?”

“His.” Arthur took another sip of coffee and then watched the steam curling up from the cup. His brain didn’t seem to want to focus this morning.

Nicholas pulled the chair back from the desk and sat down, opening the laptop. “Have you checked his e-mail, Facebook, Twitter? Maybe he posted something or received a message that might give us a clue.”

Why hadn’t Arthur thought about that? Probably just because all these new methods of communication were so new to him. He walked quickly to the computer desk.

“It’s locked.” Nicholas looked up at him. “Do you know his password?”

Arthur did. He grabbed the computer from Nicholas and entered the password. Immediately, he opened Merlin’s e-mail.

“He’s not on any of the social networking sites, but he does use e-mail.”

Nicholas laughed. “Old school. I get it.”

There were several messages advertising new books for sale on Amazon or special deals on travel sites, a message from the library letting Merlin know his books were due, and one message from a patient asking his opinion on a certain over the counter medication, but that was all. Arthur’s shoulders slumped. There was nothing here that gave him any information as to where Merlin might be.

“And I’m guessing you already tried ringing him?” Nicholas asked.

“Of course.” Arthur replaced the computer onto the desk and stood up, walking back to the couch. “It keeps going straight to voicemail.”

“Are you sure he has his mobile on him? Maybe he left it here. We could check his texts and voicemails.” Nicholas shifted some papers around on the desk. “Where does he usually keep it when he’s at home?”

“Right there on the desk, or else on the bedside table, if it’s charging, but I already checked.” Arthur looked around the room again, just in case he had missed the phone the first time he looked. His eyes lit on the packs containing the sleeping bags, torches and water bottles they had purchased for their trip to the Crystal Cave. The packs were still sitting on the floor just inside the door where Merlin had dropped them yesterday. Arthur rushed over, knelt down and started rummaging through them.

“Here!” He held up Merlin’s mobile in triumph for just a moment before trying to switch it on. But it was completely dead.

With a growl, Arthur jumped up and ran toward the bedroom. “Needs charging!”

As he sat on the edge of the bed to wait a few minutes for the phone to get enough juice to turn on, Nicholas came in and leaned on the doorframe, giving Arthur a hopeful smile. Although they had only met yesterday evening, Arthur found that he was actually relieved to have someone here with him as he tried to deal with Merlin’s disappearance. And Nicholas was a sweet kid. Eager to help. For a moment, Arthur was reminded of another young man with a sweet disposition who was always volunteering to help, eager to prove himself.

Remembering Mordred and the days when Arthur had trusted him as one of his most promising knights gave him a sick feeling in the pit of this stomach. He narrowed his eyes at the young man standing in the doorway. What was it about Nicholas that made Arthur trust him? He had been friendly and helpful. He was honest with Arthur about his magic. Perhaps that was enough. That and the fact that Merlin had known that another sorcerer lived in town and hadn’t thought him remarkable enough to mention to Arthur. So clearly Merlin trusted him. Or at the very least didn’t believe he wielded enough power to make note of.

Just as Arthur was debating with himself whether to tell Nicholas everything about his and Merlin’s quest that had quite possibly led to Merlin’s disappearance, the phone beeped, signaling that it had power enough to turn on. Fortunately, Arthur also knew the passcode to unlock the mobile, and after entering it, immediately checked Merlin’s text messages.

“Anything?” Nicholas came to sit beside Arthur on the bed, leaning over to look at the phone as well.

But there were no clues at all in Merlin’s text messages. And other than Arthur’s frantic pleas asking where he was, there were no recent voicemails. Arthur hurled the mobile onto the bed in frustration.

“Now what?” He looked over at Nicholas who was furrowing his brow in concentration, trying to think of something else to do.

Merlin knew Nicholas had magic, and he apparently did not consider him a danger at all. And perhaps there was some way Nicholas could use his magic to track down Gregory Hearn. Because Arthur was almost certain Mr. Hearn and his son were behind this. In a single moment, Arthur decided to trust Nicholas.

He began his story with Merlin being startled awake by the sorcerer’s vicious use of magic to commit murder and finished with the visions Merlin had seen in the crystals. He left out any details that might identify him as King Arthur of Camelot and Merlin as the immortal sorcerer of legend, but he wanted Nicholas to have as complete a picture of events as possible.

“So what do you think?” Arthur noticed that Nicholas had paled and grown completely silent as he told his tale. “Is there any way you can use magic to help me track down Gregory Hearn or his son?”

Nicholas just looked at him, almost in fear, but he still said nothing.

At this point, Arthur was desperate. “Please, Nicholas. Help me find my boyfriend.”


	4. Chapter 4

Three days after Merlin’s disappearance, Arthur sat on the couch reading through everything he and Nicholas had discovered about Gregory Hearn so far. He had explained to Nicholas that Merlin had a way of getting past security on websites using magic. It had taken Nicholas a few goes to get it right, but he finally managed to hack into Gregory’s company’s database. Then he checked records from the politicians Gregory had worked for in the past as well as his medical records. He had no criminal record, and the financial records they had found so far were fairly uninteresting. All in all, there was nothing particularly remarkable about his past.

Nicholas had stopped by that morning to say goodbye. He was starting university and had to move into his dorm. Before he left, though, he gave Arthur the latest information he was able to find- a list of Gregory’s credit card purchases for the last year.

Tossing the list to the coffee table, Arthur threw his head back with a frustrated sigh. Gregory had made no purchases at all with this card in the last week. Nicholas wasn’t able to get his debit card or direct bank information, yet, so perhaps that would yield some helpful information, but so far, they were no closer to locating Merlin than they were the night he was taken.

Arthur’s head ached from reading and rereading file after file. He got up from the couch to put the kettle on. Perhaps some tea would help. The headache was no surprise, really, in addition to all the reading, he had barely slept at all in the last few days. And even when he was able to fall asleep, he dreamt of Merlin. The dreams were heartbreaking, because, in every one, Arthur could hear Merlin calling for him, and he seemed to draw closer and closer, but he always remained just out of Arthur’s reach.

After a quick trip to the medicine cabinet for some paracetamol, Arthur returned to the kitchen and got out Merlin’s favourite mug, feeling a bit silly at his choice, as if drinking from Merlin’s mug would bring him any closer to Merlin. But he poured hot water into it, nevertheless. He bobbed his teabag up and down in the steaming liquid a few times before leaving it to steep. He leaned on the kitchen counter, closing his eyes for a moment, but was startled to hear a phone ring. That was Merlin’s mobile! He bolted across the living room to snatch the phone up from the desk.

“Hello!” He realized too late that he should at least have taken note of the caller before answering.

“Um… hi… is this Merlin?” A small voice that sounded like a young man greeted Arthur.

Arthur pulled the phone from his ear to look at the screen. Only a number was listed. No name. “No. This is his boyfriend. May I ask who is calling?”

“Oh! Arthur! Hi, this is Benjamin. We met a couple of weeks ago.”

“Benjamin. Yes, I remember you.” Arthur felt a little disappointed that this call would not give him information that would help Merlin, but he was glad to talk to the young sorcerer he and Merlin had helped in the alley what felt like ages ago. “How is everything? Those bullies aren’t giving you trouble, I hope.”

Benjamin laughed a little. “No, they’ve been leaving me alone. I think you two really scared them that day.”

“Well good.” Arthur was relieved to hear Benjamin sounding so happy. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“I’ve been trying some spells from the book Merlin gave me, and I just had a few questions. May I talk to him?”

Arthur’s heart sank and tears sprang unbidden to his eyes. Damn, he was so tired. For just a moment he pondered telling Benjamin some fib about Merlin being at work or out running an errand, but then he decided that honesty had always served him best in the past, so he told their young friend the truth. He didn’t give too many details, but he explained that Merlin had been abducted by a pair of unscrupulous sorcerers.

“Oh no!” Benjamin’s voice was hushed. “That’s terrible. Arthur, I’m so sorry.”

Arthur nodded, although he realized Benjamin could not see him. “I’m doing all I can to find him, but I haven’t had any luck.”

“What can I do to help?”

It was sweet of the kid to offer, but Arthur doubted a young teenager who lived miles away and had only met Merlin once could be any help at all.

“Thanks, Benjamin, but I don’t know if there’s anything you can do.”

The line was silent for a few moments, and Arthur drew in a breath to say goodbye, but then Benjamin spoke.

“My dad works for the tax office. It’s possible I could sneak in and use their computers to get information on these guys.” He paused for a moment. “Please, Arthur. Let me try. You and Merlin changed my life that day. I owe you.”

Arthur wasn’t sure how tax records would give them any more information on Gregory Hearn than they had already collected, but he understood the desire to repay an unexpected kindness, and he decided that the more people working to find Merlin the better, so he shared with Benjamin some of the information they had on Gregory Hearn and told him about how Merlin and Nicholas used magic to bypass security on computers. Benjamin said he would sneak into his dad’s office that night to investigate.

“Don’t worry, Arthur. We’ll find him.” Benjamin’s assurances were full of youthful optimism. “He’ll be home with you before you know it.”

After they hung up, Arthur did feel a tiny glimmer of hope begin to bubble within him. Forgetting all about his tea, he leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes, imagining Merlin sitting beside him. He could almost feel Merlin’s arm reaching around his shoulders to pull him down to rest. Without opening his eyes, Arthur shoved all the papers from the couch and lay down, imagining his head was now pillowed on a bony, but somehow comfortable lap, and tender fingers stroked lovingly through his hair applying gentle pressure to his scalp and drawing out the pain from his head.

Just before Arthur began to drift to sleep, he murmured quietly. “I miss you.”

*************

Merlin was floating lazily on the gentle waves of the Lake of Avalon. He didn’t have to kick his legs or move his arms to stay afloat; In fact, he couldn’t kick his legs or move his arms. Didn’t matter, though. He just floated peacefully, watching the shore for Arthur. Arthur should be here soon. Although Merlin was drifting further from the shore, and he worried Arthur might not see him when he did arrive. He needed to stay close, so he tried very hard to kick his leg again, and this time was able to move it a little, but something hard was pressing against it in the water. Actually, now that he focused a bit, the something hard was pressing against his entire body. And there was a train whistling far away. And the lake was fading. Or darkness was falling. Or he was slipping underwater.

With a gasp for breath, Merlin suddenly remembered that he was being held captive and drugged by Gregory Hearn. He still couldn’t move or open his eyes, and his brain felt quite fuzzy, but this time, he knew better than to attempt to make any noise. He didn’t want to alert Gregory that he was coming out of the haze of the drugs. Maybe he could use some magic before Gregory returned to dose him again.

He wasn’t sure he would be able to force enough magical energy outward to fight anyone off, but perhaps he could focus inward. One time, long ago, he was able to send a message to Arthur over a long distance. True, he had utilized the power of the crystals at the source of magic to do so, but he and Arthur were so connected. Destinies entwined throughout millennia. Two sides of the same coin. And now, lovers whose souls were joined so deeply, Merlin thought it might be possible.

He concentrated as much as he could through the fog of the drugs in his body. Through the haze, he could see Arthur’s face. Smiling. Scowling. Rolling his eyes. He could hear Arthur’s laughter. His battle cries. His tender voice murmuring low in Merlin’s ear. He could feel Arthur’s hands. His arms. His hair.

And he then he felt Arthur’s soul, inextricably linked with his. And Arthur was right there with him. Merlin could talk to his lover in his mind, and he knew without a doubt, that, although they were not physically together, wherever Arthur was, he would hear and understand Merlin’s words.

“Arthur, Gregory Hearn and his son are holding me. They’ve drugged me, so my magic is limited. I believe I am in a house in the country, and a train passes nearby. For brief periods as the drugs wear off, I am able to access my magic, and I will send a magical signal. There is a young woman who has the ability to detect such a signal. I trust her, Arthur. Her name is Anna Blevins. Find Anna. And find me. I love you, Arthur, and I believe in you.”

Merlin felt himself begin to drift again, the effort of exerting so much magical power draining him of his energy and ability to hold onto reality. He knew Arthur had received his message, and now he had to recuperate so that next time he awoke, he could focus his energy on sending the magical signal that will bring Arthur to him.

*************

Arthur jerked awake and was surprised to find himself still in the flat. He was disoriented for a moment. Hadn’t he just been sitting by a lake? And then it all came flooding back to him in a flash. Merlin! He had been with Merlin! Merlin had spoken to him in a dream. And yet Arthur was certain it was real. Arthur was certain of that. Heart pounding, he sat up quickly and snatched Merlin’s mobile from the coffee table. He found Anna in Merlin’s contacts and immediately pressed the button to call her. Unable to remain still, he stood and began pacing the length of the room.

“Hello?”

“Anna Blevins?” Arthur blurted her name, forgetting any form of manners or courtesy. He scolded himself mentally and started over. “Sorry. Hello. I was looking for Anna Blevins. My name is Arthur, and I’m a friend of Merlin Emerson.”

He could hear Anna chuckling on the other end of the line. “That’s quite all right, Arthur. I never know what to expect when I see Merlin’s name on the caller ID. I haven’t heard from him in a while, though. Is everything okay?”

“No, actually.”

Arthur took a deep breath and launched into his story. He didn’t take the time to give every detail, but he finished by telling her that Merlin had spoken to him in a dream and directed Arthur to her.

“Please, Anna. You are my only hope to find him.” Voice breaking, Arthur was mortified to find himself almost begging. “Please say you’ll help me.”

“Of course I’ll help, Arthur.” Anna reassured him gently. “Merlin has always been a good friend to me.”

It turned out that Anna had a car, didn’t live too far away, and was able to take a day or two off work on short notice, so she promised Arthur that she would come pick him up the next morning.

After talking with Anna, Arthur texted Nicholas to update him on this latest development and ask whether he would like to join them. Now that he had an actual plan of action, Arthur felt more like himself than he had in days. He was not used to feeling quite so helpless. He even felt like he could eat, so he warmed up some leftovers. As he ate, he reflected on everything that had happened over the last few hours. Perhaps Benjamin would find something in Gregory’s bank records tonight that would narrow down their search radius.

Arthur was definitely more in his comfort zone now. Instead of feeling like he was on his own to find Merlin, he had a team working together toward a common goal. His new knights. He smiled thinking of Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Lancelot. Always dependable. Always loyal. His brothers through quests and battles. As prince and then king, Arthur was accustomed to being set apart, but he worked best when he had a team to lead, rather than working on his own.

He had to laugh, though, when he realized that his new team was not made up of trained fighters like he was used to, but users of magic. His team of knights armed with spells, rather than swords. He wondered whether this little band of sorcerers would develop the camaraderie he knew had always helped his knights in Camelot. Knowing your teammates, their strengths and weaknesses, believing without a doubt that they always had your back. These things would give you advantages that no amount of physical training could provide.

That night, Arthur had a team. He had a plan. He felt prepared. He slept soundly, absolutely confident that Merlin would be back sleeping next to him in a matter of days.

*************

“Merlin! What on earth are you doing still in bed? Get up! The king will be waiting for you.” Gaius rapped hard on the door to Merlin’s room, shouting stern admonishments, but Merlin couldn’t seem to move.

The door opened, and Gaius appeared, one eyebrow raised, completely shocked at Merlin’s slothfulness. Throwing back Merlin’s covers, Gaius spoke again in an uncharacteristically harsh voice.

“Arthur left town this morning? Well, where is he going?”

Merlin had no idea what Gaius was talking about. Why had Arthur left Camelot without him? Had he expected Merlin to join him, and Merlin disappointed him by lying in bed so late?

“You have to find a way to stop him. He can’t find us here.”

If Arthur is looking for Merlin and Gaius, why would he leave town rather than check Gaius’s chambers? And why did Gaius not want Arthur to find them? Merlin tried to ask these questions of his guardian, but his tongue was too thick to speak. As Merlin watched Gaius glaring at him, the room began to spin. He closed his eyes, but that only made things worse, so he opened them again.

Gaius was gone, and now Merlin was lying on his bedroll beside a campfire. Gwaine ambled over and flopped down beside him, smacking his lips.

“There’s still some venison left, if you’re hungry, Merlin.”

Again, as Merlin tried to speak to Gwaine, his tongue simply wouldn’t cooperate. He couldn’t even sit up on his bedroll. Merlin’s unresponsiveness seemed to irritate Gwaine, and he leaned over to shout in Merlin’s face.

“I don’t get it. We ran background on the man. Arthur appeared early this summer out of nowhere. He isn’t even one of us. Why is he so committed to Merlin? This skinny poof can’t be that good a shag.”

Merlin was completely taken aback by the way his usually laid-back friend was talking to him. But before he could attempt to talk to Gwaine again, the forest whirled around him.

He was back in Gaius’s chamber, but now he was lying on the table, and Gwen stood over him mopping his brow with a cool, damp cloth. For some reason she was wearing the old blue dress she used to wear as a servant. Merlin did not even try to talk this time. He merely looked up at his friend, willing her to understand. Something very strange was happening to him. She smiled sweetly and moved the cloth to his cheek and then the side of his neck. Dear Gwen. Always so compassionate. She would help him.

She leaned close and whispered urgently into his ear. “All right, fine, I’ll try to move him. I’ll find a place that can’t be traced to me at all. But you have to divert Arthur. And this must be done before school starts. None of our plans will work if you have to drop out of university.”

Gwen moved the cloth to cover Merlin’s nose and mouth. He couldn’t breathe. He was smothering. His eyes tried to find Gwen’s to silently ask her why she was doing this to him, but he could not focus on her face. She seemed very far away, and then darkness fell over him.

*************

Arthur wasn’t certain he would ever get used to the speed and luxury of travelling by car. Anna had arrived at his flat by nine o’clock that morning just as she had promised. She told him not to get his hopes too high, because, although she could detect what she called a magical signature, she had not felt any signal resembling Merlin since speaking with Arthur the night before. Therefore, she had no idea in which direction they should begin their search.

Fortunately, Arthur was prepared. He had awoken this morning to a text from Nicholas. He discovered that Gregory had a half-brother who lived in the North in a cottage in the country that was very near a railway line. Since this family connection seemed to meet the criteria Merlin had mentioned to Arthur in the dream, they decided this was the most promising location for where Gregory was keeping Merlin captive.

Nicholas had moved into his dorm the day before, but his classes didn’t start for another few days, so they would be picking him up on their way. When Arthur talked to him on the phone this morning, Nicholas was surprised to hear about Anna’s special gift and sounded anxious to learn more about it. Arthur was reminded of Gwaine’s special talent handling a sword and how the younger knights were always pleased to have an opportunity to train with him.

“How long will it take us to get to this cottage?” Arthur asked Anna as the car sped along the wide and smoothly paved road.

“It’s quite a distance, Arthur. The GPS estimates the journey to be ten hours if we drive directly there. But we’re adding at least half an hour to pick up your friend. It will be well after dark when we arrive.”

Arthur felt his shoulders slump. Of course he knew the distance was great. To travel such a distance in his days as king would have taken days, if not weeks. But the speed at which they flew along the road deceived him. He supposed travel by air was the only way to arrive as quickly as he hoped.

He was feeling restless already, though. Just knowing that he was doing something helped, but he needed a way to pass the time, so he decided to find out more about his travelling companion.

“How long have you known Merlin?”

He reckoned Merlin must have known her for a while to say he trusted her. Although it had to be fewer than five years, because that was how long it had been since Merlin started a new lifetime. Changed from old back to young again.

“He found me almost four years ago. I had been mugged, but somehow managed to throw my attacker against a wall without even touching him.” She laughed a hollow laugh. “I was so terrified that my magic exploded out of me all at once. I had no idea what was happening, but Merlin showed up the next day and explained it all. Although…”

Anna shook her head at the memory. “I couldn’t stand being in the same room with him at first. I thought my skin was burning.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, apparently I have a very unique magical talent. I can sense magic in others. It was especially strong right at first, before I learned to control my own magic. Now, when I’m standing close to another sorcerer, I feel a little warming sensation. Sometimes, if the sorcerer is quite powerful, it feels like I’m sitting too close to a fire. But being around Merlin is like standing inside a furnace. I’m able to dampen the sensation, now, but that first time we met, I honestly thought I’d look down and see my skin blistering. He had to go around the block and talk to me via telephone to help me get myself under control.”

She laughed again, but this time her laugh held genuine amusement.

“He was very patient with me.”

At this, Arthur threw his head back and laughed right out loud.

“That’s Merlin, all right. He might be the most patient man who ever lived.”

Giving him a look that suggested he might be slightly mad, Anna just chuckled. “So, tell me then, how did you meet him?”

Arthur knew he couldn’t tell Anna the complete story of his and Merlin’s beginnings, but he could actually get pretty close.

“When I was young, I was a spoiled, entitled prat. And quite a bully, I’m sorry to have to say. The day Merlin and I met, I was trying to impress some friends by torturing someone I considered beneath me. Well, you can imagine how this went over with Merlin.”

He rolled his eyes, but with self-deprecation, and Anna puffed her cheeks with a knowing nod. Arthur continued, “He stepped in and put a stop to my idiocy right away. I tried to turn the bullying on him, but Merlin wasn’t having any of that.”

He and Anna shared a laugh, then, both knowing how willful their friend could be.

“So what happened? Did his charm win you over?”

“Not exactly. The next day, he saved my life.” When Anna’s mouth dropped open in surprise, Arthur chuckled. “That’s right. Literally the day after I tried to beat him to a bloody pulp- in public, no less, he used his magic to save my life.”

Anna just shook her head in disbelief. “That Merlin! He is something else. So how long ago was that? How long have you two been together?”

Arthur felt himself flush, and he looked down and away. He hadn’t specifically mentioned to Anna that he and Merlin were a couple.

“Oh, sorry! I just assumed…” She shrugged. “The way you light up when you talk about him. And when you asked me to come help find him…”

“I know.” He chuckled, a little embarrassed. “I was fairly desperate.”

If Arthur was honest with himself, he was actually pleased that Anna could just tell that he and Merlin were together. He loved Merlin so much, it had to show.

“Yes, we are together, although that bit is fairly recent. We were friends… best friends for ten years first.” He bit his lips, unsure just how much to share, but, if Merlin trusted this woman, surely he could, too. He plunged ahead. “I was actually married to another friend of ours for several years.”

“What happened?” Anna asked gently.

Arthur turned to look straight at her, and she glanced at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the road. His next statement was both honest and dishonest at the same time, but he couldn’t tell her the whole truth.

“She died.”

This news elicited a small gasp from Anna. “I’m so sorry.”

“I do miss her.” And that was completely honest, for Arthur’s heart would never forget how much he loved Guinevere. “But Merlin was there for me to help me adjust to a new life. And, really, I had loved him… probably since before I fell in love with Gwen. I just didn’t- or wouldn’t- recognise it for what it was.”

Anna nodded her understanding and reached over to pat Arthur’s leg with sympathy. They rode in silence for a while, Arthur only slightly mortified with himself for exposing so much of his heart to basically a complete stranger. Fortunately, Anna seemed to sense his discomfort with such personal conversation, so she asked a less personal question, although still one without a simple answer for Arthur to give.

“So what do you do for a living, Arthur?”

He opened his mouth in an awkward chuckle. “Well, nothing, at the moment, actually.”

“I’m sorry.” Anna grimaced. “I didn’t mean to pry. You don’t have to explain.”

“No, it’s all right.”

Arthur wasn’t quite sure how to proceed, however. He couldn’t exactly tell her that the only profession he knew no longer existed. There was no need for his kind of knights anymore. And no need for the type of king he knew how to be. He and Merlin had actually discussed his getting a job of some sort, but they decided he needed a bit more time adjusting to modern life first. He felt he could at least give Anna a version of the truth once again, though.

“The, ah, company I worked for before went out of business. So I’ve sort of been trying to decide on a new path.” A definitely warped, but somewhat accurate version of the truth, Arthur decided. “I guess I need more training in new technologies.”

Anna smiled at him. “Well, I’m sorry you lost your job, but it sounds like you at least have a plan to pursue. That’s good.”

With a snort and a roll of his eyes, Arthur gave her a look that said that he appreciated her tact, but he knew he still sounded like he was making excuses. 

“No, Arthur. I am serious.” She gave him a pointed look to get and keep his attention. “I’m the assistant director for a homeless shelter and job assistance programme in Cardiff, and I see people all the time who have lost their jobs and with that, their confidence. There are many who end up drifting for years after being laid off or sacked. Sometimes it does take several months, but the willingness to change paths somewhat, train in new areas… that will help you in the long run.”

She smiled as she reached over to put her hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “I promise.”

Oh, he could see why Merlin liked this woman so much. She was very kind. He gave her a sharp nod of thanks before the GPS spoke up, telling Anna to take the next turn. They were arriving at Nicholas’s university.

*************

Benjamin crept up to the darkened house trying to stay hidden from view. His heart was racing and his knees were wobbling, but he was determined to proceed with his plan. He had never done anything like this before, and it was both frightening and electrifying in the same moment. Before yesterday, the bravest thing he had ever done was to walk down the hall at school where he knew Ethan and Max hung out rather than taking the long way to class one day. That had not turned out well for him; he had gone home with a knot on his head and bruises on his shoulders from being slammed into the lockers.

But when he found out that Merlin had been kidnapped, he knew he had to do whatever he could to help. He had only met Merlin and his boyfriend the one time, but they had made such an impact on his life, he felt like he owed them. And not just that, but he genuinely liked the two men.

So last night, he summoned bravery he didn’t know he had and broke into his dad’s office, hacked the computer system, and illegally looked at Gregory Hearn’s tax records. He discovered that Gregory had inherited a house in the country from his grandfather years ago. He rented the house out and paid taxes on the rent money, but that income had been missing from the last two years’ records, so Benjamin reckoned the house might be empty at the moment. A perfect place to hide out with a hostage.

Now Benjamin was creeping around in the dark outside that very house, trying to find out whether Gregory Hearn and his son were in there, and more importantly, whether Merlin was inside. He slunk around the perimeter of the house, checking every window, but the shades were drawn on every one. Most of the rooms were dark, but there was a flickering light in the front room, as if someone were inside watching telly.

There was no way Benjamin could just go knock on the door. He knew that Gregory Hearn was a powerful sorcerer, and Benjamin was still getting used to his magical abilities, so he was certain that if it came to a head to head battle, Gregory could easily defeat him. Plus, he didn’t want to alert Gregory of his presence, lest he try to hurt Merlin. Benjamin noticed there were some bushes below one of the windows of the front room. Thinking quickly, he muttered a spell and lit the bushes on fire. And then he hid across the garden behind a low fence.

Before too long, the front door opened and a man Benjamin presumed was Gregory dashed outside, cursed loudly when he saw the growing fire, and ran back inside without closing the door. Soon, however, he ran back out with a fire extinguisher to douse the flames.

Benjamin edged along the fence until he was quite close to Gregory, but still out of sight. He wasn’t sure his magic would reach from this distance, though, so he had to get closer. He slipped out from the cover of the fence hoping to remain inconspicuous.

No such luck.

His movement must have caught Gregory’s eye, because he immediately looked over at Benjamin, narrowing his eyes. Surprising himself with his swift problem-solving, Benjamin spoke.

“I saw the smoke.” He pointed vaguely behind him toward another farmhouse down the road as if he had just come from there. “You need any help there, mate?”

“I have it under control.”

Gregory’s response was terse. He clearly wanted Benjamin to leave. Benjamin was unsure how to proceed. He didn’t want to hurt this man if he was not Gregory Hearn and had nothing to do with Merlin’s disappearance, however, if Benjamin continued to hang about, Gregory might get suspicious and simply knock him out or even kill him.

“What do you think started it?” He tried stalling a bit longer to try to verify the man’s identity.

Gregory had stopped spraying the extinguisher and was watching to make sure all the embers were dead.

“No idea.”

His voice was gruff, and he avoided looking directly at Benjamin. Then he glanced back toward the door, sprayed a bit more where a spark lit up, and then looked at Benjamin out of the corner of his eye. He kicked at the ashes a little, continuing to release more spray when necessary, and he kept alternating between glancing over his shoulder toward Benjamin and back toward the front door.

Benjamin took this nervous behaviour as confirmation enough that Merlin was being held inside that house. He still didn’t know whether Gregory’s son was in there guarding Merlin or not, but if he took care of Gregory now, he might have a better chance fighting just one sorcerer.

“Well, looks like you’ve got it. Nicely done. Guess I’ll see you around.”

Benjamin feigned turning to walk away, and as soon as he saw Gregory’s shoulders relax, he spun rapidly, held out his hands and reached within himself to force as much magical energy out toward Gregory as he could.

His own strength surprised him when Gregory flew through the air and slammed into the wall with so much force that Benjamin was afraid he might have killed him. He did not take the time to check. Instead, he ran into the house, arms out, in case Gregory’s son had heard his father’s body slam into the wall and was coming out ready to attack whoever had caused the sound.

Fortunately, no one approached, and Benjamin did not hear a sound other than the low chatter of BBC News on the telly. He allowed himself a few moments to recover from confronting Gregory outside. His heart felt like it was trying to escape through his throat, and his whole body was shaking. He knew his actions had been assisted by a rush of adrenaline, so he decided to search the house while he still had the adrenaline strengthening him and quickening his reaction time.

Although it was difficult to see in the dark, Benjamin didn’t dare switch on any lights. He didn’t want to alert anyone to his presence. So he crept through the house peeking into each room, ever so carefully opening cupboards, and ducking to peer underneath beds without making a sound.

Finally in a utility room that was nearly pitch black, Benjamin spotted the outline of a man lying on the floor. He stepped closer hesitantly, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the room, so he knelt down and rolled the man so he could see his face.

His heart leapt. It was Merlin! He pressed his fingers to Merlin’s throat to check for a pulse, although his skin was warm, so Benjamin was certain he wasn’t dead. Still, he was relieved to feel a slow, but steady pulse under his fingertips. Merlin was unconscious, but he was alive.

Now then, how on earth was Benjamin going to get Merlin out of here? He didn’t look like he weighed too much, but Benjamin was quite small himself. There was no way he could carry Merlin. He looked around the room for anything with wheels. Just as he was eyeing a laundry basket that he might be able to drag outside, Merlin made a slight humming noise and shifted his leg.

“Merlin!” Benjamin shook his shoulders. “Merlin, wake up! You have to wake up!” 

Merlin flinched away from Benjamin’s hands with a grunt.

“Merlin, it’s me. Benjamin. Remember, you helped me with my magic. I came to find you. Arthur told me you were missing.”

Glancing back over his shoulder toward the door in case Gregory had awoken, Benjamin almost missed Merlin’s eyelids fluttering open and closed. He whipped his head back when he caught the movement from the corner of his eye. Merlin’s eyes were closed again, and he was not moving at all. Until he spoke one word.

“Arthur.”

Benjamin reached out to shake Merlin’s shoulder again. “Yes. Arthur. He’s worried about you, Merlin. You have to wake up, so you can see him again. We have to get out of here!”

This time Merlin did not flinch. He stilled completely for a moment and then took one slow, deep breath. As he released the breath, his eyes suddenly opened, glowing golden. Sitting up quickly, Merlin grabbed Benjamin’s forearms with both his hands.

“Help me up.”

Benjamin pulled Merlin to his feet, and, with Merlin leaning heavily on the smaller boy, the two hobbled as quickly as they could out of the house and down the road. As far away from Gregory Hearn as they could get.

They hid in a barn to give Merlin a chance to recover his strength, and Benjamin pulled out his mobile to call Arthur to let him know that his boyfriend was free. But his phone was completely dead. Merlin explained that the burst of magical energy Benjamin had released to knock out Gregory had probably also knocked out his phone.

Merlin was still very weak, both physically and magically, and it was quite a long walk to town. Plus there were no more trains until morning, so they decided to remain in their hiding place a while longer. Benjamin found some horse blankets and prepared a make-shift bed on some hay for Merlin.

“Thank you, Benjamin.” Merlin patted him on the back as he moved toward the blankets. “There’s just one more thing I need to do.”

“What?”

Merlin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then, in a deep raspy voice, spoke in the ancient language of the Old Religion. Benjamin had learned a few basic spells from the book Merlin had given him, but he had never come across a spell as complex as this one. He gasped with surprise as Merlin suddenly opened his eyes and they glowed gold for several moments, because at that some moment, Benjamin felt a tingling sensation all over his skin. Then Merlin’s eyes returned to deep blue and he dropped to the floor, collapsing onto his hands and knees and panting from the effort. The tingling in Benjamin’s skin went away the moment Merlin’s spell ceased.

“What was that?” Benjamin asked Merlin, a little afraid to find out the answer.

But Merlin smiled as he settled back onto the blankets Benjamin had prepared for him. “I sent a signal to a friend. Hopefully she’s with Arthur, and they’ll be able to find us. Or at least he’ll know that I’m okay.”

“A signal? But what if Gregory woke up? Then he’ll know where to find us, too!” Benjamin rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

With a quick shake of his head, Merlin lay down and curled onto his side. “No. You only felt it because you were standing right beside me. Anna’s the only person I’ve ever met who has the ability to detect such a signal.

He yawned and just sort of mumbled, “But just in case, I tuned it especially for her.”

Benjamin just stared for a moment at the sorcerer before him who must be far more powerful than he had realized. Merlin fell asleep almost immediately, but Benjamin knew he would not sleep at all. He was far too wound up from everything that had happened in the last few hours. He sat down near Merlin and leaned on a post facing the barn door to keep guard. 

As Merlin slept, he kept murmuring Arthur’s name. Each time, Benjamin couldn’t help smiling. He hoped one day that he would find someone he loved as much as Merlin and Arthur clearly loved each other.

*************

“The cottage is just a couple of miles away, do we have a plan for when we get there?” Anna rolled her shoulders as she drove. Arthur felt bad that she had driven for the entire ten hour trip, but neither he nor Nicholas knew how to drive a car.

“You still don’t feel anything? No magical signal from Merlin at all?” 

Arthur was beginning to feel very worried. He had assumed that when they got close, Anna would detect Merlin’s presence, and they would follow his signal to locate him. The fact that she still felt nothing scared Arthur. Was Merlin unable to send a signal, because he was drugged and possibly unconscious? Or was he not projecting any magical energy, because his magic had been taken from him again, as Morgana had managed before the battle with the Saxons? Or… Arthur didn’t think it was possible to kill Merlin. He was immortal, wasn’t he? But still, Arthur couldn’t help being concerned.

Even if Merlin were safe, but simply drugged, they needed his signal to pinpoint his precise location. He might be inside Gregory’s half-brother’s cottage, but he might not. It was possible that Anna could not feel Merlin’s signal because they were on the opposite side of the country from where he was being held. They didn’t want to barge in and frighten the family there if they were innocent, but they couldn’t simply knock on the door and ask after Merlin, either.

“I’m not sure what we can do.” Arthur honestly had no idea how to proceed. “I suppose we could just watch the house for a while. If the people who live there are coming and going as normal, it might mean he’s not even here.”

“It’s half ten o’clock on a Tuesday night, Arthur. They’re probably in for the night.” Anna’s voice was sympathetic.

“We could see if there’s someplace we could spend the night and just check the house in the morning.” Nicholas chimed in.

He had been getting more and more quiet as they approached the village where Gregory’s half-brother lived. At the beginning of the trip, Nicholas had been very chatty. Full of questions for Anna about her magic and how she used it. He had especially been interested in her ability to identify others with magic. He asked a lot of questions about how she made it work and the exact sensations she felt. She couldn’t answer the how, though. She said that she doesn’t control it, it simply is. As if that particular talent is just a part of her. She told him that being in the car with him made her feel like she wished her car had air conditioning. Arthur noticed that Nicholas had raised his head and frowned as if he were surprised to hear that, which Arthur thought was odd.

Perhaps Nicholas was frustrated that Anna couldn’t explain her magic detecting talent in a way that he could imitate. It must be very difficult going through life feeling like you are alone and have to hide your true self. Nicholas must really want to be able to find other magical young people to befriend.

Arthur did wonder, though, after all of the young man’s initial questions and interest, why he had been more subdued for the last hour or so. He noticed that Nicholas had been texting, so perhaps he had a disagreement with a friend or his parents. But his suggestion just now that they wait until morning to take any action made it seem like he had lost interest in this quest. Nicholas didn’t know Merlin very well, but he had seemed eager to help Arthur before. So why the half-hearted attitude now? Perhaps he was simply being a teenager. Tired and focused on his own problems too much to consider others. Arthur would just have to give him a gentle push to refocus on finding and saving Merlin.

“We can’t wait until morning. We have no idea what they are doing to Merlin. I want to get to him as quickly as we can.”

Arthur paused to consider their options. He didn’t want anyone, either in his little team or innocent people inside the house, to get hurt, if he could help it. Perhaps scoping out the house and observing would be the first order of business. He gave a sigh of frustration at what still felt like inaction. But then Anna made a suggestion.

“It’s possible the Hearn men would recognise you, Arthur, since you went to Gregory’s place of business, and if they were able to somehow find out about any other sorcerers in your town, they might know about you, Nicholas. But I don’t think there’s any way they would recognise me.”

She glanced at Arthur with a shrewd gleam in her eye. “I could knock on the door with a photo of my dog and a sob story about him being lost. I might be able to gather some information that way. Do a quick scan of the room. Gauge the mood of whoever answers the door. Might be of some help, anyway.”

Arthur beamed. “Anna, that is brilliant! I love it!”

She returned his grin, but Nicholas was still silent. When Arthur turned to look at him in the back seat, the young man’s mood was pensive. He still held his mobile phone in his hand on his lap, although it was not lit up at the moment.

“Nicholas? What do you think of Anna’s plan?” Arthur prompted him gently.

Nicholas nodded slowly, but kept his eyes down on his mobile. “Yeah. Fine. Seems harmless.”

Something was definitely going on, but since Nicholas was not keen to share, Arthur did not feel it was his place to pry. He was still regarding the young sorcerer with concern when the car began to slow, and Anna spoke up.

“We’re here.”

Anna parked the car on the side of the road and they all examined the home of Gregory Hearn’s half-brother. Arthur had expected to find a dismal, run-down place or, at the very least, a darkened house with all windows covered to prevent discovery of the prisoner. But this cottage was lovely. Made of stone and surrounded by flowering bushes, the small home had a large picture window in the front and a glass patio on one side as well as several other windows all around. Most of the windows were not shaded, and warm light emanated from within.

The idyllic picture before them was making Arthur’s heart sink. This certainly did not look like a place to hold someone captive. And if Merlin was not here, they were back to having no clue where to look for him. Anna must have sensed his disappointment, because she came round the car and put her arm around his waist squeezing gently.

“If he’s not here, we will keep looking until we find him.”

Her voice was quiet, but assured, and Arthur gave her an appreciative nudge with his shoulder, before he began to spell out a plan of action. The former king was in his element once again. Quickly assessing the surroundings and finding the best tactical locations, he began commanding his troops.

“I’ll hide behind those bushes just this side of the front door. From there, I should be able to see into the house when the door opens. And I’ll be able to hear the conversation, as well. Nicholas, I want you to go round the back. Anna’s presence might put them on alert, and I want all possible exits covered.”

Anna dug into her purse and pulled out a wallet. She opened the photo section and removed one. When she held it out, Arthur could see that it was a photo of Anna kneeling with her arms wrapped around a large dog.

“This is Darcy.” She grinned. “I’ve had him since I was your age, Nicholas. He’s a good pup.”

With that, the three investigators took their positions, and, at a nod from Arthur, Anna knocked on the door. An older woman answered, drying her hands on a towel and looking surprised to see someone calling at this hour.

Anna was brilliant, though. She launched into a story about how she was staying with friends in the village and her dog had gotten away. She sniffled a bit as she fretted that he didn’t know the area and wouldn’t be able to find his way back to her on his own. The woman cooed sympathetically and declared Darcy “so handsome” when Anna showed her the photo. Arthur’s heart sank. This was certainly not the behaviour of a woman hiding a hostage in her house. And moments later Arthur let out a sigh and dropped his head as his hopes of finding Merlin tonight were completely dashed when the woman invited Anna in for a cuppa. If Merlin were stashed away in the cellar, his captor would not take the risk of inviting a stranger into the house, would they?

Anna turned down the invitation, but thanked the woman and gave her a (hopefully fake) number to call if she spotted the missing dog. Arthur crept from behind the bush and trotted around the house to signal Nicholas that they were leaving. They all walked back to the car, Anna and Nicholas exchanging worried glances as Arthur radiated disappointment and frustration.

But when Anna reached for the handle on the car door, she jerked her hand back with a cry of pain and then dropped to her knees. Arthur was at her side immediately, reaching out to her, but she flinched away.

“Burning…” She was breathless and holding her shaking arms away from her body as if she could not stand for anything to touch her skin.

Nicholas carefully touched the door of the car with just his fingertips, once, twice. Then he placed his whole hand flat on the metal.

“It’s cool.”

Anna cried out again and raised her head. Now her eyes were glowing gold and with one last pained gasp, she leaned forward, dropping her hands to the ground and panting. She looked up at Arthur.

“Merlin. That was Merlin.” She choked out a laugh of disbelief. “He sent a signal, all right.”

“So he is in that house!” Arthur whirled back to the cottage, his hand automatically moving as if to draw a sword.

“No, Arthur. No. The signal came from that direction.” Anna stood carefully and pointed away from the house, toward the town they had driven through on the way.

Arthur took a few steps and looked down the road. “He’s in the village?”

Anna’s eyes were wide as she shook her head. “The signal came from that direction, but miles and miles away.

“The sheer power… I’ve never felt anything like that.” Now trembling with fear, she looked at Arthur and whispered. “Who is he?”

Arthur pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t answer that question, could he? Would she continue to help if she knew the truth? Or would she be afraid to be near an immortal sorcerer and his resurrected king?

“He’s Merlin.” Arthur’s voice was calm. Steady. Honest, but not giving everything away. “And he needs our help.”

He held Anna’s gaze for a moment longer before giving a minute jerk of his head, silently asking for her support. She stared back, her eyes filled with unasked questions, but after a few seconds, her lips curled into a hesitant smile.

“Well, then. Let’s go get him.”

*************

Light was just beginning to seep through the gaps between boards in the barn where Benjamin and Merlin had taken refuge for the night. Without his mobile, Benjamin had no idea what time it was, but he decided that surely the trains would start close to dawn, so commuters could get to work on time. He wanted to get Merlin home to Arthur as soon as he could, so he gently shook Merlin’s shoulder to wake him.

“Merlin?” The sorcerer did not even move, so Benjamin shook harder. “Merlin!”

This time Merlin stirred a bit and groaned but still didn’t open his eyes. He did, however, open and close his mouth a few times smacking his lips. In the dim light of the barn, it was difficult to tell, but Benjamin thought Merlin’s lips looked cracked and dry. He reached out and swiped a finger across the bottom lip and, sure enough, it felt very rough and held no moisture at all. Benjamin vaguely remembered learning in a science class that sleepiness was a symptom of dehydration. Perhaps Gregory Hearn had not given Merlin any water during the days he held him captive.

Jumping up quickly, Benjamin dashed around the barn looking for any water. In an unoccupied stall, he found two fifty gallon drums filled with water. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing whether this water was safe to drink. But then he remembered a spell he had read in the book Merlin had given him. He had not tried this spell before, but he had to give it a shot now.

Holding out his hand, he spoke the words of the spell. Nothing happened. He tried again. And again. But still nothing happened. Benjamin kicked the base of the water drum in frustration. He looked over at his new friend who had settled back into a deep sleep. Benjamin had to make this work.

He took a deep breath and focused on feeling his magical energy as he exhaled through his mouth. He held out his hand and spoke again, and this time, the water in the drum before him began to boil.

Laughing right out loud, Benjamin whispered, “I did it.”

He let the water boil for a few minutes to make sure any germs in it would be killed. But now he realized that he had nothing in which to carry the water to Merlin. And additionally, he did not know a spell to quickly cool water down. He looked around the stall, but there were no cups or bowls or anything to scoop up the liquid, until he had a moment of inspiration. He didn’t have to scoop it up. He could soak it up.

Benjamin whipped off his shirt, held the collar and let the shirt tail dip into the still steaming water. He pulled it out, held it carefully away from his body, spread the shirt out by grasping the tops of the sleeves and waved it back and forth creating a cooling breeze. As soon as the water in his shirt had cooled, Benjamin ran back to Merlin. He shook him awake again, until Merlin opened his eyes and gave Benjamin a blank stare. Benjamin squeezed a little water onto his lips. Merlin opened his mouth and let the water drip in, swallowing carefully. Benjamin kept going, letting Merlin drink as much water as he could until Benjamin could squeeze no more from the shirt. He returned to the water drum and repeated the process until Merlin was strong enough to stand.

“Thank you, Benjamin.” He took the shirt from Benjamin’s hands and walked over to the steaming water drum. “Did you boil this water?”

Benjamin nodded. “Sorry if it’s gross drinking from my shirt. I didn’t have any other way to carry the water. Or cool it down.”

Merlin looked back and forth between the water drum and the shirtless Benjamin and then gave a chuckle of surprise. “No, that was… very clever.”

Then Merlin muttered a single word at Benjamin’s shirt which was instantly dry. He tossed the young sorcerer his shirt, and then waved a hand over the steaming water. The steam dissipated and he plunged two hands into the liquid, forming a cup to bring water to his mouth to drink.

“You thirsty? It’s cool now.” Merlin motioned toward the drum with his head and smiled at Benjamin who walked over to scoop up some water for himself.

Merlin clapped him on the back when he was finished. “Look at you! First you rescue me from an evil sorcerer, and then you find a safe place to hide and nurse me back to health. Armed with nothing but your wits, a bit of reckless courage and a few simple magic spells. You’re a right hero, Benjamin.”

Benjamin looked down, blushing. He just shrugged. “You saved me. I saved you. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh sure. All in a day’s work.” Merlin gave him a gentle shove. But then he caught Benjamin’s eye, and his expression sobered. “No, but seriously, Benjamin. What you did last night… that was no small task. Thank you.”

Merlin’s expression of appreciation warmed Benjamin from the inside out. And to be honest, he was rather proud of himself. The scrawny little poof who had spent most of his life being pushed around and bullied had just saved someone’s life. Maybe he wasn’t a wimp after all. He just needed something that mattered to him to bring out his brave and strong side.

Benjamin stood up straight, head up and shoulders back. For the first time in his life, he felt like he might be able to make a difference. Like the things he believed and said and did actually mattered. Like he was worth something. He looked at Merlin who was beaming at him as if he saw a difference in Benjamin already.

“Let’s head to the railway station.” Benjamin grinned back at Merlin. “But first, we’ll find a phone so you can call Arthur.”

*************

Arthur and Nicholas sat on the side of the road, Nicholas leaning against the tyre of the car and Arthur stretched on the grass, propped on one elbow. Anna was curled up sleeping in the backseat. Bless her, she had driven more than ten hours the day before and then she drove an additional five hours after she felt the signal from Merlin. She probably would have kept going, but Arthur noticed she was yawning, rolling her shoulders and shifting in her seat more and more as the hours wore on. He had insisted that she pull over to rest.

The sun was just beginning to rise, and Anna had been sleeping for almost four hours. He hated to wake her so early, but he was anxious to get to Merlin. It had been a relief to know that he was doing well enough to send a magical signal for Anna, but Arthur still would not be able to relax until Merlin was in his arms, safely away from Gregory Hearn and his son.

Arthur stood and walked a little way down the road to stretch his legs. As he passed Nicholas, the young man gave a weary sigh.

“Is it time to go?” He didn’t sound too happy at the prospect of more hours in the car.

With a sympathetic chuckle, Arthur turned to look at his young friend. “I don’t want to wait too long. Just in case.”

Arthur ran his fingers through his hair. “Look, I know this has been a long trip, but I appreciate you coming along. And even though Merlin didn’t turn out to be at Gregory’s brother’s house, I appreciate the effort you made to find it. We had no place even to start.”

“Just wasted a lot of time.” Nicholas scuffed his foot along the ground.

Arthur squatted beside him. “We didn’t find Merlin, but it gave us a chance to spend time together. It helps to know I have good friends like you, Nicholas.”

At this, Nicholas looked away from Arthur, probably embarrassed at Arthur’s declaration of friendship. Arthur stood again and stretched his arms above his head, walking a piece away to give Nicholas some space. He considered the frank discussion they had a few hours ago, shortly after they stopped for Anna to sleep.

Around three o’clock in the morning, Nicholas received a phone call. He had jumped up and walked down the road to take the call, so he clearly didn’t want an audience. Arthur didn’t attempt to eavesdrop on purpose, but he did see Nicholas gesturing emphatically a few times and one time heard him raise his voice. After Nicholas hung up, he had stalked back to the car, and hurled himself to the ground, avoiding Arthur’s eyes.

“Everything all right?” Arthur didn’t want to pry, but he wanted to make sure Nicholas was okay and give him a chance to talk if he needed to.

“It’s fine.” Nicholas said in a voice that suggested it was anything but fine. He looked at Arthur and rolled his eyes. “It’s just my dad.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows, once again giving Nicholas the opportunity either to drop the subject altogether or keep talking.

“I can’t do anything right, I guess. I just keep disappointing him.”

Nicholas turned away and didn’t elaborate any further. But Arthur’s heart went out to him. He could absolutely empathize with disappointing one’s father. His entire young life, he had done everything he could to impress his own father. To gain his approval. Every rare compliment from Uther made Arthur feel forty feet tall, because mostly what he received from his father were looks of disappointment or even outright expressions of disapproval. Even after his father’s death, Arthur had still sought his approval so much that he used the Horn of Cathbhadh to summon Uther’s spirit, hoping for any indication that his father was proud of him. Or at the very least, respected the job his son was doing as king. Of course, even in death Uther could not change, letting Arthur know he believed him to be a failure in every aspect of his life. Crushing his son with the weight of his disapproval.

Arthur scooted closer to Nicholas and put a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t live your life trying to please your father. Because you’ll never get there. Trust me. I know what it’s like to be a constant disappointment.”

Nicholas still did not look at him, but he also did not pull away from Arthur’s reassuring touch.

“You have to do what you believe is right and what you know is best for you.” Arthur continued. “Certainly, you can ask for your father’s advice and consider his opinions, but you have to make your own decisions. Because otherwise, you’ll just be his puppet. You’ll never be your own man.”

Arthur gave Nicholas’s shoulder a squeeze and scooted away again. Then he added with a chuckle, “Easier said than done, I know.”

At that, Nicholas had looked back at him and snorted, indicating the massive understatement in what Arthur said. They had not discussed fathers or phone calls any further.

Now Nicholas stood and joined Arthur, stretching his arms back and forth in front of him and twisting his back as he walked. “Do you think Anna can still follow the signal she received last night? We’ve just been driving in the general direction it came from, but she didn’t seem to know exactly how far away it was.”

“I know.” Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, as he tended to do when he was feeling less than confident about something. “I guess I’m hoping Merlin will be able to send another signal, and then Anna can triangulate or something.”

Nicholas looked skeptical, but did not comment. Instead, he turned back toward the car. “We should wake her so we can get going.”

Arthur agreed and followed Nicholas, but as they walked, Arthur’s mobile phone rang. He dug it out of his pocket quickly and answered.

“Hello?”

“Arthur?” Merlin’s voice was on the other end, and Arthur’s knees nearly gave way underneath him.

“Merlin!” Arthur practically shouted. “Where are you? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Arthur. I’m safe.” Hearing Merlin say these words brought tears to Arthur’s eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

“Benjamin rescued me.”

“Benjamin? The kid from the alley?” Arthur couldn’t believe it.

Merlin just laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound Arthur had heard in a long time.

“The same kid. He did some investigating, found where Gregory was keeping me and came to get me out. He knocked old Mr. Hearn unconscious and dragged me to safety. He’s a pretty brave kid, Arthur.”

Arthur shook his head in amazement. “Well, tell him thank you for me, and I’ll tell him myself when I see him.”

“I will tell him you said so.” He could hear the smile in Merlin’s voice, and he could tell Merlin was proud of the young sorcerer.

Turning away from Nicholas, Arthur pressed the phone close to his face as if that would bring Merlin closer.

“Merlin. I...” His voice broke, and he swallowed hard. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine, Arthur. Still a little weak, but recovering.” Merlin sighed, and Arthur could almost feel his lover’s breath on his ear. “I did miss you, though.”

Arthur closed his eyes and nodded his agreement. “Yeah. I’m glad you’re okay.”

They talked a bit more, discussing where they each were and deciding the logistics of their reunion. In the end, they decided the easiest thing would be simply to head home. They could be together by the end of the day.

“Well, I’m on the courtesy phone at the railway station, so I better hop off and get on a train to make my way home.” Merlin did sound tired.

“Good.” Arthur’s lips spread into a wicked grin. “You’ll probably beat me home, so I expect my dinner ready, my bed turned down and my boots polished by the time I get there.”

Merlin laughed out loud, and Arthur thought his heart would burst. Merlin huffed with mock annoyance, but said, “I love you, too, you clotpole.”

After they hung up, Arthur turned back toward the car. Nicholas had woken Anna, and they were both leaning on the front of the car beaming at him.

“So,” Anna cocked her head, still smiling. “Your boyfriend’s back?”

Arthur pulled her into a hug, and then tousled Nicholas’s hair, before they all got into the car to head home. Where Merlin would be waiting, safe and sound, at last.


	5. Chapter 5

The moment Anna stopped the car outside the flat, Arthur was out the door. He took the stairs two at a time and burst through the door only stopping when he saw Merlin resting on the couch, already in his pyjamas. The grin on Merlin’s face was absolutely beautiful, and Arthur was mesmerized, unable to move as he watched Merlin rise from the couch and walk toward him.

As soon as Merlin was close enough, however, Arthur’s arms reached out to pull him into a tight embrace. They stood clinging to one another, Merlin burying his face in Arthur’s neck, and Arthur stroking his fingers through Merlin’s hair, until the sound of the door opening behind them made them pull apart slightly. Anna slipped into the flat with a grin. She closed the door behind herself and then waved her hand toward Merlin and Arthur.

“No, no. Carry on. I’ll just pop to the loo.” She gave Arthur a wink and a friendly pat on the back as she walked past.

Arthur wondered for a moment where Nicholas was, but forgot all about his young friend as Merlin’s hand slid up the back of his neck to pull him in for a kiss. Arthur tightened his arms around Merlin’s waist to press their bodies flush against one another. After so many days apart and so much time spent worrying about Merlin and wondering whether he would ever find him, Arthur savored this closeness. But just as he tilted his head, eager to intensify the kiss, a young man cleared his throat from the direction of the spare bedroom.

Arthur and Merlin broke apart and turned toward the sound together. Benjamin stood at the edge of the living room grimacing apologetically.

“I’ll…”

He pointed vaguely back toward the spare room and started to turn around. But Arthur and Merlin grinned at each other, and with one last squeeze, Arthur let go of Merlin and walked over to Benjamin.

“Stop right there, Benjamin.” Arthur put his hands on the young man’s shoulders and leaned down to look directly into his eyes.

“Thank you. You risked a lot going after Gregory Hearn on your own. What you did means a great deal to me. Thank you for rescuing Merlin. For bringing him home.”

Arthur pulled Benjamin in for a hug, clapping his back a couple of times before releasing him. Benjamin was blushing and looking toward the floor. He shrugged.

“It was nothing.” He murmured quietly.

“It wasn’t nothing, Benjamin.” Merlin commented with a smile, as he came up and ruffled Benjamin’s hair.

Arthur and Merlin could both tell that the young sorcerer was proud of his actions but didn’t want to make a big deal of them, so they exchanged a grin and left Benjamin shuffling his feet on the carpet as they went to sit on the couch. Their bodies were pressed together, shoulders, hips and thighs. Their hands entwined automatically and rested on Arthur’s leg.

Anna peeked her head around the corner with a sly grin checking to make sure she wasn’t interrupting anything. Arthur waved her in and introduced her and Benjamin. But then he looked around the room again. Nicholas still hadn’t arrived.

“Where’s Nicholas?” He asked Anna, since he had left the two of them still in the car when he bounded out, eager to get to Merlin as quickly as possible.

“He’s still outside, I guess.” She gestured toward the door. “He had to make a call.”

Now Merlin turned to Arthur with a confused look on his face. “Who’s Nicholas?”

“Oh, you know Nicholas. He lives here in town. He’s about to start university?”

But Merlin just shook his head, now looking quite suspicious. “I don’t know any Nicholas in town. Was he with you?”

Now it was Arthur’s turn to be confused. “Yeah, he’s been helping me find you. I met him at the restaurant the night you disappeared. He knows you. He said you showed up at his house a few years ago to help him when his magic manifested.”

Merlin shifted to the edge of the couch, turning so he could look Arthur in the eye. “Arthur, there is not another sorcerer in this town. And I haven’t visited anyone named Nicholas in many years.”

“But I’ve seen him do magic.” Arthur insisted.

“That’s my point, Arthur. If he’s got magic, but I didn’t know about him…” Merlin trailed off, his eyes frightened.

“No.” Now Arthur stood and backed away from Merlin in denial. “That’s not him. He’s been helping me.”

“Has he?” Merlin stood and took Arthur’s hands in his own. “He’s not the one who discovered where I was.”

Arthur felt as if his world had turned upside down. There was no way Nicholas could be the murderous sorcerer they had been tracking. There was no way Nicholas could be involved in Merlin’s captivity. He had helped Arthur find information about Gregory Hearn on the computer. Although his information had turned out to be a wild goose chase, leading Arthur to the opposite end of the country from where Merlin was being held.

Still shaking his head, Arthur refused to believe that his new friend could betray him in this way.

“No. Merlin, he’s my friend. He was there for me when…” Arthur swallowed hard, realizing how much it had helped him to have Nicholas around for support during the days Merlin was missing.

“If he was plotting against me, I would know…” But Arthur’s voice trailed off as he remembered that he had been betrayed by people he trusted several times before. Morgana. Agravaine. Mordred.

Merlin’s eyes were full of sadness, and he squeezed Arthur’s hands. Arthur had told Merlin how terrible he felt for not recognizing these people for what they were before all hell broke loose. And so many people died.

But Nicholas wouldn’t…

Arthur jerked his hands from Merlin’s and looked over at Anna and Benjamin. Benjamin just looked unsure, but Anna stared wide-eyed back at Arthur. She, too, had spent time with Nicholas and didn’t want to believe that he could hurt anyone.

“If he’s still outside, we can talk to him.” She suggested.

Looking back at Merlin, Arthur raised his eyebrows hopefully. Merlin just gave him a sad half-smile and nodded. “Let me get my shoes.”

As he returned from the bedroom and sat down to put on his trainers, Merlin asked Arthur, “Did you tell him about the Crystal Cave? Does he know that I will recognise Gregory Hearn’s son on sight?”

Arthur thought back to his conversations with Nicholas about the Hearn men and nodded. “I think I did tell him, yeah.”

“Then we probably won’t find him downstairs. But if we do, I want you to stay behind me.”

Arthur started to protest, but Merlin cut him off.

“No, Arthur. I know you think he’s your friend, but I’ve felt the hatred in his heart. And the power he wields.” Merlin stood and turned to give Arthur a stern look. “He can’t hurt me now that I’m prepared for him. You know that. But he can hurt you, and I won’t let him. I won’t lose you again, Arthur.”

Arthur saw the fear in Merlin’s eyes behind the stern front he put up, so he reluctantly agreed to allow Merlin to stand has his protector.

“You two stay here.” Merlin tossed a warning to Benjamin and Anna as he and Arthur headed out the door.

They walked in silence down the stairs and around to the side of the building toward the street where Anna had parked the car. As soon as they turned the corner, they spotted Nicholas leaning against the bonnet of the car, arms folded across his middle, looking back toward the building. Arthur’s heart flooded with relief at the sight. Surely if he was the evil sorcerer destined to become prime minister, he would not be waiting for Merlin to discover him. But just as he was about to wave to Nicholas, Merlin gripped his arm hard.

“It’s him.” He whispered harshly.

Arthur’s heart sank, and he looked at Merlin, but Merlin’s eyes were trained on Nicholas. The calculating look on his face nearly took Arthur’s breath away. This was not the bumbling servant he remembered or even the selfless physician he had come to know since his return. This was the powerful sorcerer who had saved Camelot and Arthur’s life on more than one occasion.

Allowing Merlin to make the first move, Arthur remained still. But he stayed by Merlin’s side rather than standing behind him as Merlin had asked. Arthur may not have magic, but he was still a knight and a king, at least in his heart. And he would not cower.

Merlin took a few slow, measured steps toward Nicholas. His actions spoke of caution but not fear. He called out in a clear, commanding voice that sent chills down Arthur’s spine.

“Nicholas! Stay right where you are.”

Nicholas unfolded his arms and held them up, palms out, in a gesture that, to Arthur, meant surrender, but Merlin tensed beside him. When Merlin raised his own arm, palm facing Nicholas, Arthur realized that, while he was accustomed to fighting with weapons of steel and open hands meant submission, Merlin was accustomed to fighting with magic, and Nicholas holding out his hands was, in essence, him brandishing his weapon.

Now Arthur tensed, too, and found himself moving slightly behind Merlin after all. So much for the fearless knight.

But then Nicholas dropped his hands and crumpled to the ground, weeping.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He choked out between sobs.

Arthur looked at Merlin. “What did you do?”

“Nothing.” Merlin shook his head. “I didn’t do anything.”

Arthur started toward Nicholas, but Merlin’s arm shot out, stopping him. His voice was stern again.

“Stay back.”

And once again, Arthur found himself compelled to obey. He would suspect Merlin of using sorcery on him to force such acquiescence, but the truth was that Arthur had been brought up to respect authority, and at this moment, every aspect of Merlin’s countenance radiated command. But more than that, Arthur trusted Merlin. So he stayed where he was and watched as Merlin stepped toward Nicholas, knelt before him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Although the touch did not look like one of comfort to Arthur. More like a warning.

Nicholas looked up, and Arthur’s heart clenched at the sight of his tear streaked face. The boy was frightened of the sorcerer before him. After a moment, though, he looked over Merlin’s shoulder at Arthur.

“Arthur, I’m sorry that I lied to you.” His face crumpled, and tears streamed down his cheeks once more. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know.”

“What didn’t you know?” Merlin’s voice was still firm and commanding, unaffected by the boy’s disheveled state.

Nicholas’s voice was the complete opposite of Merlin’s. Wobbly. Unsure. 

“I didn’t know that it was okay to be who I am. I didn’t know what it was to have a friend. I’ve never had someone care for me. I thought…” He swallowed and looked back at Merlin. “I thought I found that when I found my father, but I was wrong. I’m sorry for what he did to you.”

His eyes raised once again to meet Arthur’s. “Arthur, I never had a friend before I met you. At first I was faking being friendly to get close to you. I was supposed to get information from you. And then I was supposed to mislead you and keep you from finding Merlin. I’m sorry.”

Hearing Nicholas admit that he had used Arthur- had kept him from Merlin all that time- made Arthur seethe with anger. And yet, there was something in the young man’s eyes… Arthur believed that Nicholas was sorry. He wasn’t sure, yet, that he could forgive him. But he did believe he was sorry.

“After the kid rescued Merlin, my father called. And he was furious. He said it was my fault.” Nicholas gave Arthur a pleading look. “Because, even before that, I was starting to question him. I was starting to see what a good man you are, Arthur. And how much you love Merlin. And I thought there might be another way to be accepted as sorcerers rather than… what my father had planned.”

He looked down as if he were ashamed ever to have believed his father’s violent and horrific plan was worthwhile. Arthur felt his anger subsiding. He still didn’t know all of Nicholas’s story. He didn’t know why this young man had no friends and clearly had never known a parent’s unconditional love. But he felt sorry for the boy. And he was ready to accept his apology.

As he stepped forward, though, Merlin’s arm shot out again, signaling him to stop. Merlin was clearly not ready to accept Nicholas’s tearful pleas.

“What information were you asked to get from Arthur?”

Ah. Arthur felt a surge of admiration for his clever friend. Even if Nicholas was sorry and had changed his mind about seeking power and hurting non-magic people, Gregory Hearn was still out there. And his plans had not changed.

Nicholas paused, gazing thoughtfully at Merlin, and for a moment, Arthur was afraid he was still holding back. But then Nicholas nodded and spoke.

“I was supposed to find out all I could about you.” He motioned toward Merlin. “My father met you once, long ago, when you came to tell him he was a sorcerer, but you were older then than you are now. I was supposed to find out why. And I was supposed to find out how strong you are. And if you had any weaknesses. And if we might be able to get you on our side.”

As Nicholas listed the information he was to gather about Merlin, Arthur tried to remember everything he had told his friend during the days they spent together. He knew he had talked about how powerful Merlin was and some of the ways he used his magic, but he certainly didn’t talk about his immortality.

“What else?” Merlin asked as if he already knew there was more.

Now, Nicholas hung his head in shame once again. In a low voice, he answered.

“He wants to find more sorcerers. To start a revolution.” Nicholas looked up at Merlin, cringing in both shame and fear. “I sent him your contact lists. From your computer and your mobile. And copies of all your saved e-mails and texts.”

Merlin’s shoulders dropped, and Arthur let out a disappointed sigh.

“Nicholas. No.”

“I really am sorry, Arthur. Truly.” Nicholas shook his head and shrugged.

Arthur pitied him, because he did seem sorry. He had been lost and had chosen the wrong person to lead him. But his actions had already hurt Merlin and stood to hurt many more. Gregory Hearn could use Merlin’s contacts to build a magical army of sorts, and even without help from Nicholas, some version of the visions Merlin had seen in the crystals could still occur.

Merlin stood and took two steps back from Nicholas. Without taking his eyes off the boy, he folded his arms and sighed.

“What are we going to do with him?”

“What do you mean?” Arthur was confused. “He can stay with us tonight, just like the others. You don’t mind the floor, do you, Nick?”

Finally Merlin whipped around to face Arthur, eyes wide. “He’s not just going to stay over like one of the gang! For all we know, this is part of his and Gregory’s plan.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin.” Arthur was surprised to hear Merlin’s anger flare like this after everything Nicholas had just told them.

“Ridiculous?” Merlin’s voice broke, and he looked at Arthur, incredulous, as if Arthur was betraying him.

Arthur didn’t fully understand Merlin’s reaction, but the look he was giving him was breaking Arthur’s heart, so he tried to pull Merlin out of earshot of Nicholas so they could talk freely.

“Stay right there, Nicholas. Just give us a minute.” Arthur called over his shoulder.

But Merlin would not budge. Arthur raised his eyebrows impatiently, and Merlin sighed in resignation. He darted his eyes back to Nicholas, and with a flick of his wrist, glowing golden ropes appeared, lashing around the young sorcerer, binding his arms and legs in place. After a brief moment of struggling against the ropes, Nicholas’s shoulders drooped, and he nodded his acquiescence to Arthur.

But Merlin’s paranoia was beginning to make Arthur angry. He grabbed his friend’s arm and dragged him several yards away before rounding on him.

“What was that?” Arthur hissed. “You don’t trust my judgment? I asked him to stay put. You didn’t have to tie him up.”

“Asked him to stay put?” Merlin was panting in disbelief. “Arthur, he’s… He’s…”

Merlin’s eyes were filling with tears, and his chin was quivering. Arthur’s temper deflated a little, and he felt his expression soften.

“Don’t you remember how I found out about him?” Merlin asked as his tears spilled down his cheeks. “That night when I first felt his magic… he killed someone, Arthur.”

Arthur sighed and resisted the urge to reach for Merlin’s hand. “I’ve killed people, Merlin. As have you.”

Merlin looked down for one breath but then returned his gaze to meet Arthur’s. “But there’s a difference. Killing someone in self-defence or to protect another or to uphold the law is not the same as murdering someone out of anger and hatred.”

“I know.” And this time Arthur did reach for Merlin’s hand, holding it between his own. “But Merlin, I killed Caerleon simply to show my strength as a new king. And if you hadn’t stopped me, I would have killed Odin for no other reason than revenge. Is that so different?”

Merlin’s breath hitched as he looked blankly toward Arthur’s chest, considering Arthur’s words. But then he turned his head slowly side to side, lips pursed and shoulders shaking. He spoke through clenched teeth.

“It’s like Mordred all over again.”

And suddenly Arthur understood, and he pulled Merlin close, wrapping his arms around his still trembling boyfriend. Merlin had been warned that Mordred would be the one to kill Arthur, and he had to watch as Arthur befriended Mordred and placed more and more trust in him. Merlin had seen Nicholas performing great evil in the crystals, and now Arthur was defending him.

With his lips brushing Merlin’s ear, Arthur murmured, “I’m sorry, Merlin. I didn’t realize.”

Merlin clung even tighter, and Arthur’s heart went out to him. He reached up to stroke Merlin’s hair, but then Arthur had a realization. He pulled back and put his hands on Merlin’s shoulders.

“When you say it’s like Mordred all over again, do you just mean that I’m getting close to a person who you don’t trust because you know his destiny? Or is it more than that?”

Merlin’s expression was carefully blank.

“Merlin?” Arthur slid his hands down to grip Merlin’s elbows. “Did you see something in the Crystal Cave you haven’t told me about?”

After a long pause where Merlin’s face was completely vacant of any emotion, Arthur raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, and Merlin sighed.

“It doesn’t matter.” His voice was as blank as his face, but with his next words, both shifted into cold determination. “I won’t let it happen.”

Arthur felt chills creeping down his spine, wondering exactly what Merlin had seen. He could guess that Merlin saw Nicholas kill Arthur, but he knew that Merlin would give no further details. As if he believed that discussing the visions would give them more weight and increase the likelihood of their becoming fact.

“I know you won’t.” Arthur felt confident that at this point Nicholas would not attempt to kill him, but even if he did, Merlin would move heaven and earth to stop him. He put both hands on the sides of Merlin’s face and pulled him forward pressing his lips to his lover’s forehead. He stayed in that position for several seconds, and when he pulled back, Merlin actually gave him a smile. A sad smile, but the effort was there, at least.

“Now then,” Arthur turned to nod at Nicholas. “We can’t just leave him tied up out here all night. And we can’t send him away.”

Merlin shook his head. “No, we can’t. He would surely return to his father, and we cannot allow that.”

“So,” Arthur tried his best not to smile. “What do you suggest we do with him?”

Now Merlin rolled his eyes and blew out a breath through his teeth. “Fine. He can come inside.”

Arthur grinned and threw his arm around his frustrated boyfriend as they started walking back to where Nicholas sat tied up on the ground.

“But I refuse to go to sleep as long as he is in my flat.”

Well, that victory was short lived. Arthur stopped walking and gave Merlin a disappointed look. But Merlin turned and walked straight up to Arthur, lowering his voice to a raspy almost-whisper.

“I said that I refused to go to sleep, not that I refused to go to bed.”

He brushed a light kiss across Arthur’s lips and walked back toward Nicholas, waving his hand to vanish the ropes as he went. Well, that wasn’t exactly what Arthur’s look of disappointment was about, but he certainly didn’t feel the need to correct Merlin now.

*************

Merlin lay awake with Arthur snoring lightly next to him. Anna was sleeping in the spare bedroom, Benjamin was on the couch, and Nicholas was on the floor in the kitchen. Merlin had collected everyone’s mobile and disabled the flat’s telephone. He enchanted the windows and the door to set off alarms if opened. And he spent the evening tuning his own magic to detect any magical energy emanating from Nicholas. But even with all these precautions and Nicholas’s seemingly genuine change of heart, Merlin still did not feel entirely safe.

When Merlin and Arthur had returned to the flat with Nicholas, it had taken a while to explain the situation to Anna and Benjamin. Benjamin still seemed wary of Nicholas, but Anna accepted his apologies and explanations well enough. Merlin supposed that spending a couple of days travelling with him may have helped warm her feelings toward him.

After the initial explanation, Nicholas had given more details about his background. He had explained that his adoptive family never fully accepted him, and he had always felt like an outsider. He had broken down crying again telling everyone about the night Merlin had first discovered his existence. He had gone looking for his birth mother, already angry and filled with blind hate, because he felt that she had abandoned him to a life of misery. And when he had heard her story, he had lost control. Nicholas claimed that he never intended to kill her, but he had kind of snapped. Then he sought out his father, still angry, but also filled with fear and shame at what he had done.

This news was difficult for even Anna to accept. But Arthur still stood up for Nicholas and believed that he was sorry for his actions and wanted to change.

After everyone settled for the night, Merlin did keep his earlier promise to Arthur, although with the late hour and the flat full of guests, they had to settle for quick and quiet. Although, Merlin recalled with a slight flush, after more than a week apart, quick suited them both just fine.

Merlin turned his head to watch the man sleeping beside him. He still marveled at his good fortune that after all these years, not only had Arthur finally returned, but he actually loved Merlin the way Merlin had always loved him. He tilted his head forward and placed a kiss on Arthur’s cheek, breathing in his scent and pondering just how much this closeness had come to mean to him in the short time since he and Arthur first got together. And just how much he had missed it while Gregory held him captive.

His reunion with Arthur tonight had been tainted by his discovery that Arthur had befriended the very sorcerer they had been trying to find and stop. He felt a little silly remembering his emotional reaction outside when he admitted to Arthur that he felt he was reliving the situation with Mordred all over again, but really, the parallels were there. Merlin had felt so helpless in Camelot, watching Arthur grow close to Mordred, all the while knowing their shared destiny, unable to shake the vision Merlin had seen of Mordred plunging his sword into Arthur. In the Crystal Cave, Merlin had seen a vision of Nicholas using magic to behead Arthur in front of a large crowd, and now suddenly, Arthur was introducing Nicholas as his trusted friend. Merlin refused to let history repeat itself.

But he knew that this time, things were different. This time, he did not have to hide his knowledge and his magic from Arthur. And yet, once again, the enemy was sleeping under the same roof as they were. Once again, he was part of Arthur’s team. Why did Arthur have to be so trusting and look for the good in people so much that he could ignore the bad?

As soon as this question crossed his mind, however, Merlin found himself chuckling under his breath. He could not answer that question, because if Arthur were any different, he wouldn’t be Arthur. He would not have been the king he was. He would not have become a legend passed down through the ages. And Merlin wouldn’t love him nearly as much as he did.

“Dollop head.” Merlin whispered, placing another kiss on Arthur’s cheek before he rolled out of bed to slip into the kitchen to check on the young sorcerer sleeping there.

But before he reached the door, he heard a phone chirp, signaling the receipt of a text message. Detouring to the stash of mobiles on the dresser, Merlin discovered the chirp came from Nicholas’s phone. His breath caught when he read the name. The message was from Gregory Hearn.

“Are you still with Arthur? New plan. Ring me… alone”

Merlin stared at the screen. He could just delete the message and attempt to cut off all contact between Nicholas and his father, but something about that felt wrong. Unless they held Nicholas captive or killed him, there would be no way to keep Gregory from finding him. And, even though Merlin did not fully trust Nicholas, he had no intention of killing him or holding him as a prisoner. And if Gregory could isolate Nicholas from everyone who cared about him again, it was still possible for him to persuade Nicholas to come back to his side.

However, if Nicholas had truly changed his loyalties, if he was prepared to join Arthur and Merlin and completely denounce his father’s plan, he could help stop Gregory Hearn once and for all. If they could be sure Nicholas was fully on their side, he might be able to act as a sort of double agent.

Could Merlin trust Nicholas? Arthur certainly seemed to. But Arthur had been fooled before. Although with Morgana and Mordred and even with Agravaine, Arthur never knew the whole truth. He did not have a complete picture on which to base his opinion. This time, Arthur did have all the information. He knew Nicholas’s background. He knew he had murdered his birth mother and initially went along with his father’s plans for revolution. And yet, Arthur believed in Nicholas’s complete 180.

Merlin put down the mobile and groaned, rubbing his hands through his hair. He felt as if everything hinged on this decision. His ability to stop the future he had seen in the crystals, or some similar future depended on whether or not he could trust Nicholas. Merlin hated this. He began pacing back and forth. Years of hiding his true self, years of keeping secrets, and years of witnessing a world filled with wars and fighting and enemies had made Merlin who he was. Skeptical. Cynical. And slow to trust. How could he be expected to make this decision?

But then he turned and looked at the man sleeping peacefully in his bed. The Once and Future King without a kingdom. Merlin had already decided that Arthur had not returned to rule Britain. But perhaps he had returned to protect her. If the future hinged on the decision of whether or not to trust Nicholas, and Merlin felt incapable of making that decision, perhaps that was because the decision was not his to make. Perhaps it was Arthur’s. Arthur believed in Nicholas, and Merlin believed in Arthur. Merlin smiled. He always had.

There was no need to wake Arthur, since Merlin already knew what he would say: that they should trust Nicholas and allow him the choice of whether or not to act as a spy against his father. The choice had to be Nicholas’s, since he would be betraying his own father, albeit a father he hadn’t known until a few weeks ago. And if Gregory were to discover his betrayal, the young man’s life might be in danger. Merlin would have to talk it over with Nicholas. With a last grateful smile at Arthur’s sleeping form, Merlin picked up Nicholas’s mobile and slipped quietly out of the bedroom to wake the young sorcerer.

“Nicholas.” Merlin whispered as he shook the young man’s shoulder.

Nicholas jerked awake and sat up, backing quickly away from Merlin, his eyes wide with fear. Merlin felt a little guilty that Nicholas should feel frightened of him, but he also felt that it might be a good thing for the young man to have a healthy respect for the older sorcerer. Might help keep him in check.

Merlin waved the phone in the air before Nicholas and whispered, “You got a text message from your father, and I have an idea. Let’s go outside so we can talk.”

With a slight look of confusion, Nicholas nodded hesitantly and got to his feet. The two men carefully opened the door and stepped outside so they wouldn’t disturb the others who were catching up on some much needed sleep.

Leaning against the wall, Nicholas looked up at Merlin with some trepidation. Merlin stared back straight into his eyes for a few moments, and Nicholas held eye contact, but not defiantly. More like he wanted Merlin to see that he had nothing else to hide. So Merlin smiled.

“I’ve decided to trust you, Nicholas.”

The young sorcerer let out a sigh of relief and returned the smile. “Thank you.”

“Now then, your father says he has a new plan.” Merlin held out the mobile for Nicholas to read the text message from Gregory Hearn.

Nicholas looked at the phone and raised his eyes to Merlin looking confused. Merlin wiggled his eyebrows with a half-smile.

“I wondered if you might be interested in acting as a double agent. For our side this time.”

After a few moments hesitation where Nicholas squinted and chewed on his lips in concentration, he looked back at Merlin with a big smile.

“I could do that, couldn’t I?” He laughed a little and gave a sheepish grimace. “And I suppose I do already have some experience with that sort of subterfuge.”

Merlin clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s why I know you’ll be able to pull it off.”

The two sorcerers stood outside and discussed a few possibilities until they came up with a good cover story. Nicholas could tell his father that once he discovered that Merlin had been rescued from Gregory, he thought it would be best to stay with Arthur and keep pretending to be on his side in order to learn more about Merlin.

Once Nicholas felt confident that he could convince his father that he was still on his side, he placed the call. Merlin stayed with him, leaning close so he could hear both sides of the conversation. (They didn’t want to risk using speaker phone, in case Gregory could tell it was on speaker and got suspicious.)

When Nicholas explained to his father the reason he was still with Merlin and Arthur, Gregory was pleased. He told him that was a good plan and to stick with it. Then Gregory began explaining his own plan.

“I phoned most of the people on Merlin’s contact list with whom he had any exchanges that related to magic. Some I didn’t bother with, because their communication with him was very friendly, and they would be unlikely to disagree with his stance that magic should remain secret. But some just contacted him to ask questions about specific spells, and the dialog was quite brief. Those were the ones I targeted.”

Gregory spoke very quickly, and mostly Nicholas just listened silently, occasionally adding an interested “hmm.” But now, he declared the fact that Gregory had found sorcerers to target “excellent.”

His father continued with an excited tone, “And I have to tell you, Nick, there were several who were very dissatisfied with the status quo. They are tired of hiding who they are and constantly feeling alone.”

At this, Merlin’s heart sank. He had always known that many sorcerers felt alienated from their peers and hated having to keep their magic secret. It had been that way since he was young, but between laws and religion and just plain fear of the unknown, Merlin had come to believed secrecy was best. But now it seemed his decision might come back to haunt him if Gregory was able to take advantage of some sorcerers’ feelings of isolation to gain support for his revolution.

“So what’s the plan?” Nicholas prompted his father.

“I don’t think we will need to take the slow political route we talked about before. Merlin has been in contact with sorcerers in Britain, but surely there must be many more worldwide. They must be confused about their abilities, and they are keeping them secret out of fear. If we go public, I believe that many others worldwide would join us. And with enough supporters, the non-magic people would not be able to stop us. I’ve read through Merlin’s e-mails and he told several people about defensive spells to use in case of emergency. I believe we could adapt those spells to make them more powerful. We could use them to attack those in power. And anyone who resists us.”

“Great. Yeah. That sounds great.”

Nicholas gave Merlin a frightened look, and Merlin couldn’t blame him for being afraid. Gregory didn’t have a particularly well thought out plan, but there was an edge of mania to his voice. He seemed so eager to bring magic to the public knowledge that he would be willing to attack anyone who acted against him. That combination of obsession and madness was dangerous.

“I’ll keep in contact with the others I’ve found who might be persuaded to help us. You find out all you can about Merlin. I still want to know how he can change his age and appearance. And don’t let him gather any other sorcerers on his little team. When it comes time to fight, I don’t want to have to fight others with magic. And see if he can teach you any good defensive spells. Gather any magical weapons you can for our arsenal.”

Gregory’s voice was becoming more and more desperate. But rather than worrying Merlin, this was actually somewhat of a relief. After losing control of Merlin, Gregory had abandoned his original plan which might actually have had a chance of working, and now he was grasping at straws. Losing touch with reality. A madman was dangerous, but more likely to make mistakes. Merlin signaled for Nicholas to wrap this conversation up.

“Right. So I’ll just stay here with Merlin and Arthur and gather information, and I’ll try to be in touch again tomorrow.” Nicholas rushed through his words. “Where are you now, anyway? Are you still at your grandparents’ house in the country?”

“No, I had to leave. Merlin and Arthur know about that house now, and I don’t want them to be able to find me. So I won’t stay in one spot very long. I’ll be moving to a new location every day.” Merlin and Nicholas exchanged an uneasy glance. Gregory was definitely getting more paranoid. “I won’t even tell you where I am, in case Merlin has a way to force you to give up information.”

“Oh. Well, okay then. Good thinking.” Nicholas stammered. “Look, I better get back inside in case someone wakes up and notices I’m gone.”

“All right, son. Well done. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

After Nicholas hung up the phone, Merlin gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

“This is good.” Merlin said.

“Good?” Nicholas’s mouth dropped open. “Did you hear him? The man is insane. Why did I ever…?”

“Fear makes us all make poor choices.” Merlin explained. “But now he’s acting in fear as well. And we can use that to our advantage.”

Nicholas just gave Merlin a skeptical look, but Merlin laughed.

“Trust me. I’ve had lots of experience dealing with mad men. I know just what to do.” He put his arm around Nicholas’s shoulders and guided him back toward the door to his flat. “We should both get some sleep while we can, and we can discuss what to do next in the morning with the others.”

His eyes twinkled with delight before he opened the door.

“Just wait until you see Arthur in action. Making strategic plans and carrying them out is where he thrives.”

*************

Benjamin was awakened in the morning by the sound of people rustling all around him. Merlin and Arthur were sitting at the computer desk, their heads nearly touching as they read the computer screen together. Anna was in the kitchen brewing a cup of tea. And Nicholas was balancing a bowl of cereal on his lap as he sat in the chair beside the couch where Benjamin was sprawled.

As Benjamin sat up and stretched with a yawn, Nicholas gave a quick nod. “Morning.”

Then Merlin looked over from the computer. “Ah, Benjamin, you’re up! Good. Why don’t you get dressed, grab some breakfast if you want any, and then we can get started.”

He turned back to the computer before Benjamin had a chance to ask what they were getting started on. Benjamin did as Merlin asked, borrowing a clean shirt from the dresser that Merlin had allowed him to rummage through last night for pyjamas. Merlin was quite skinny, so his clothes were only a bit baggy on Benjamin’s slight form.

After he had cleaned up and made himself a piece of toast, Benjamin joined Anna on the couch with a questioning look, but she just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Apparently she didn’t know what was going on, either. Benjamin snuck a glance at Nicholas, but he was watching Merlin and Arthur.

The other sorcerer scared Benjamin some. He had been in on the capture of Merlin, and he had killed his own birth mother. Benjamin didn’t quite understand why Merlin and Arthur hadn’t turned him over to the authorities. Merlin had assured Benjamin last night that he would be safe sleeping in the same room as the son of Gregory Hearn, because Merlin had performed some spells as safety measures, and in addition, he planned to stay awake all night keeping an eye on Nicholas. Although Benjamin had noticed that after they all went to bed, the door to Merlin and Arthur’s bedroom was closed for a while. He couldn’t begrudge them some private time together, but being left alone with a murderer had definitely made him quite nervous.

Merlin and Arthur rose together from their research on the computer and pulled their chairs over to join the others in the living room. Merlin gave Benjamin a reassuring smile before he began to speak. He explained that Gregory Hearn had contacted Nicholas last night and had changed his plans. He had abandoned his long-term plans of putting Nicholas in a position of political power. His intention was now to start a more immediate revolution. Merlin described Gregory’s state of mind as paranoid and desperate.

“Nicholas has agreed to turn against his father. He’ll be working with us, and feeding his father false information, but Gregory won’t know that.”

Merlin nodded to Nicholas who grinned. “I’m a spy.”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes at the other young man who was practically bouncing in his seat. How could Merlin and Arthur trust him? Until last night, he had been acting as a spy for Gregory Hearn. What made them so certain he wasn’t just faking a change of heart and would continue passing secret plans to his father?

Merlin must have noticed his look of distrust, because he nodded acknowledgement of Benjamin’s reaction with a sigh.

“I understand that you both may have reservations about Nicholas’s role, but Arthur and I believe that he regrets his past actions, and we want to give him a chance to show us that he has changed.”

At this, Merlin raised his eyebrows to Benjamin and Anna, silently asking for their acceptance of this decision, even if they could not whole-heartedly agree with it. Anna glanced at Benjamin with a half-shrug before she turned back to Merlin and nodded. So Benjamin reluctantly nodded his acceptance as well, and Merlin smiled in appreciation.

“Now then, Arthur has come up with a plan that, I think will not only counteract Gregory’s plans for revolution, but will also be a step forward for sorcerers all over Britain.”

Merlin turned his gaze to Arthur and grinned in open admiration at his boyfriend. Arthur returned Merlin’s grin for a moment, and then sat forward in his seat and began explaining his plans.

“Well, first of all, Anna, I’d like you to help Merlin go through the list of sorcerers he’s been in touch with and call each one to find out whether they’ve been contacted by Gregory. If so, find out if they know anything about his location and his plans. And then you’ll need to try to convince them that there may be no need to bring magic into the public eye…” Arthur cut his eyes sideways to Merlin and smiled slyly. “We may be able to offer a satisfactory alternative.”

Now Merlin scooted to the edge of his seat, his eyes twinkling as he grinned at each of the other three sorcerers. “This is the bit that I love. And I cannot believe I never thought of doing this before.”

“Ah, well, that is because you, Merlin, are an idiot.” Arthur gave Merlin such a superior look that Benjamin huffed in defence of his friend.

But Merlin just rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. “That just means he loves me. Tell them the plan, Arthur.”

Arthur pointed his two index fingers at Benjamin and Nicholas. “I need you two computer experts to help me set up a secure online community for sorcerers. Part of what is enabling Gregory to find others to go along with his ridiculous revolution is that sorcerers feel isolated. They can’t share their abilities with anyone but their closest friends and family, and even those they do trust with the secret cannot fully understand what it means to have magic. Sorcerers need a place to connect with other sorcerers. A way to share and just to be themselves.”

Arthur turned to Merlin and looked him in the eye as he spoke. “It’s not right for sorcerers always to have to hide.”

“I love it.” Anna spoke up. “A safe space to be who we are. It’s perfect.”

Benjamin loved the idea, too, and wondered why he hadn’t thought to ask before if there was a Facebook group for sorcerers or something. Probably because before he found out about Gregory Hearn and Anna and Nicholas, he wasn’t even aware that there were any other sorcerers in Britain besides himself and Merlin.

Arthur continued, “And if the online community works out, we could start having meetings in an isolated location. We could even have training camps for new sorcerers.”

Benjamin’s heart leapt. “Like Hogwarts!”

Merlin nodded at him with an oddly sad smile. “Like Hogwarts.”

Arthur reached over to Merlin and grasped his hand. “It’s not your fault, Merlin. You didn’t isolate them on purpose. You’ve seen how people react in fear to magic, and keeping it secret was the only way to avoid that. The technology required to do what I’m proposing is a fairly recent development.”

With a cocky tilt of his head, Arthur teased his boyfriend. “I’m sure you would have thought of it eventually. You just needed a fresh perspective from someone who’s not quite as old and feeble minded as you are.”

Benjamin giggled at what was clearly a joke, since Merlin looked younger than Arthur, but he noticed that neither Nicholas nor Anna laughed.

“Anyway…” Merlin chided Arthur for his teasing. “We are hoping that the prospect of this new community of sorcerers will dissuade those who are considering joining Gregory in his violent revolution. Ideally we will stop Gregory before he does anything too public, but even if he manages to get his message out, it will just be him. One crazy person’s ranting is easier to ignore.”

A thought occurred to Benjamin and it seemed Anna had the same thought, because she spoke up. “But even if it is just Gregory, he won’t only be ranting, he’ll be doing magic. Won’t that lend some credence to his claims?”

Merlin and Arthur exchanged an uncertain glance. “Well, Merlin thinks he can prevent that, actually.”

Merlin’s face was grim. “There is a way to permanently remove a person’s magic.”

Anna gasped in shock, and Merlin closed his eyes for a moment.

“I hate to do it. Taking someone’s magic is a terrible thing. It’s like removing a part of who they are.”

The very thought of losing his magic made Benjamin’s skin crawl. It gave him the same feeling of wrongness that he felt when he read about those seminars that were supposed to turn gay people straight. The look of sorrow on Merlin’s face showed that he did understand the enormity of what he was suggesting.

“There may be no other way to prevent Gregory from going public with his magic in a violent way. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt.”

Finally, Nicholas spoke up. “You should do it. He won’t stop otherwise. He’s obsessed.”

Merlin stared at Nicholas for several long moments, and then nodded. “All right. If we find him, I’ll do it.”

Arthur clapped his hands on his knees and stood up. “Everyone has their assignments. Let’s get started.”

*************

Arthur jogged along the road on the outskirts of town near the lake. Over the last two weeks since he and his team started implementing their plan stop Gregory Hearn’s revolution, Arthur had taken up running. Most of the work they were doing involved sitting indoors working on the computer or making phone calls, and Arthur was simply not built for being still indoors all day long. He needed to be physically active, or he started getting grumpy. Or so Merlin had informed him when, on the third day of setting up the online community for sorcerers, Arthur had snapped at Nicholas over taking the last chocolate biscuit. So he decided to go for a run and discovered that the exercise and fresh air really did clear his head and lighten his mood. He hated when Merlin was right.

The sun was just rising and the reflection of its first rays shimmered on the water. It was just a few short months ago that Arthur had awoken beside this lake, believing he was still king and Camelot was waiting just a few days ride away. He still found it hard to believe that he had been dead for nearly 1500 years.

He turned a corner and left the lake behind, heading back toward the flat he shared with his servant turned lover. That first day when he found himself facing a completely different world, of all the things he imagined, never would he have believed that he would be able to freely admit to being in love with Merlin. This man had always been more than a servant to him. More than a friend. And now to be able to love him freely and openly meant more to Arthur than he ever would have believed.

The two of them had always worked well together, although Arthur hadn’t realized for all those years just how much Merlin was helping him. And now, their shared goal of giving sorcerers a way to connect with one another was going amazingly well. The online community was just getting started, but already the reaction was astounding. Sorcerers of all ages, it seemed, had been craving the companionship of others like them. They shared spells and stories of how they found ways to use their magic inconspicuously in their everyday lives. And they talked about how frustrated they had felt having to keep it all secret.

Those who had talked to Gregory Hearn were easily convinced of his madness and eagerly joined the new community, happy to have contact with other sorcerers who were not trying to violently overthrow the government.

After the first few days, Benjamin had to return home to start back to school, and Anna drove back to Cardiff to return to work. But they stayed in close contact with Arthur and Merlin, and both emphasized that if anything were to happen with Gregory, they wanted to be there to help.

Nicholas had decided to delay university and take a gap year to help clean up the mess he had started when he sought out his father. He moved out of the dorm and into the spare room in Merlin and Arthur’s flat. He dedicated all of his time to building the community and to trying to find his father. He also continued to feed false information to Gregory. He had told him that the man who originally visited Gregory when he first found out he had magic was actually Merlin’s father, also named Merlin. And that when his father had died, this Merlin took over seeking out sorcerers and helping them deal with their new talents.

Gregory accepted this explanation well enough, but Nicholas did not. He had not pushed for further information, but Arthur had caught him researching Arthurian legends online, so he seemed to have some hint of the truth. Perhaps after they had stopped Gregory and could return to a more normal life, he and Merlin would be able to share their story with Nicholas.

Meanwhile, Gregory was getting more and more frustrated, and therefore, more and more desperate. He was losing supporters, and he was angry with Nicholas for allowing the creation of the community of sorcerers. Nicholas had tried to convince him that perhaps going public wasn’t necessary after all, if they could be part of this secret society of others like them. But Gregory would not listen to reason.

Arthur turned onto his street and slowed to a walk for the last few yards before his flat. He stretched his arms over his head as he walked up to the door. He hoped Merlin had put the kettle on and maybe had some bacon cooking.

But as soon as he opened the door, he knew something must have happened. Merlin was pacing the length of the living room talking on phone asking someone if he could borrow their car. And Nicholas was sitting cross-legged on the floor hunched over the coffee table examining a map. As Arthur stepped closer, he saw that it was a detailed map of London.

“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t an emergency.” Merlin paused for a moment and then sighed with relief. “Thank you, Nina. You are a life saver! I’ll drop by the office to get the keys as soon as I can.”

Merlin hung up the phone and turned to Arthur. “You need to get changed. Quickest shower of your life, Arthur. Seriously. We need to get on the road to London as soon as we can.”

“Merlin, slow down.” Arthur put his hands on Merlin’s upper arms and was nervous to feel him shaking. “Tell me what’s happened.”

“Gregory called Nicholas. He’s tired of waiting, and he’s tired of losing support. I think he’s crossed into psychosis, Arthur.” Merlin shook his head with his mouth open in disbelief. “He wants to do something big. He thinks that if he attracts enough attention, he’ll get supporters from around the world.”

“Something big enough to make news worldwide?” Arthur was horrified to think what Gregory could be planning. “What is it? Is he going to blow up a building or something?”

“No.” Nicholas stood up and turned around. “He said it has to be something that could only be done by magic, because otherwise people will just think he’s a terrorist.”

“Okay…” Arthur looked back at Merlin, pleading, his imagination running wild.

Merlin took a deep breath. “I’m not sure how, but he found a spell that can bring statues to life. There are several statues that are part of the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. It’s Queen Victoria, some mythological figures, mermaids, some sea creatures and a couple of lions. But the whole area is always crawling with tourists. Someone is bound to get hurt. Plus, it would be all over Twitter and YouTube within minutes. It’s definitely big. Statues coming to life in front of Buckingham Palace would put magic out there in front of the whole world.”

“With a lunatic leading the charge.” Arthur breathed.

Merlin nodded sadly. Arthur knew how much Merlin had always hated having to hide his magic, but he also knew Merlin could acknowledge that not everyone handled the ability to use magic well, and that sometimes the fact that magic remained hidden to most was actually for the best. People like Gregory and like Morgana were simply out for power and the fact that they could use sorcery to attain that power was unfortunate.

“What about Nicholas?” Arthur asked. “Is he part of Gregory’s plan?”

“I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. So instead I asked him to wait for me.” Nicholas looked ashamed. “I told him that we’re in this together, and I wanted to be there for his moment of glory.”

Arthur rubbed the side of this face. “Good. So will he wait for you to arrive?”

“He said he couldn’t make any promises.”

With one quick look at Merlin to affirm his support, Arthur said, “Well then, forget showering. Let me grab my trousers, and we’ll be on our way.”

*************

As Merlin sped along the road toward London, Arthur phoned Anna to let her know what was happening. She probably wouldn’t be able to get there in time, but she said she would head that direction just in case they needed help.

They debated whether to tell Benjamin, since there was really nothing he could to do help, and they hated to make him worry and distract him from his studies, but in the end, Merlin decided that it wouldn’t be fair to keep him out of the loop after everything he had done to help them so far. So Arthur sent him a text message telling him what was happening, but emphasizing that he should stay where he was.

Nicholas had not heard from Gregory again, so they weren’t sure whether he was already in place in London or not. But they knew he hadn’t done anything yet, because Nicholas was obsessively checking the news sites on his mobile.

The three men went over all the possibilities as they drove. They may be able to intercept Gregory before he arrived at the palace, but they might have to try to stop him in a very public location. Merlin could cast a spell to make them somewhat unnoticeable, but if their behaviour was too loud or too unusual, their actions would draw attention in spite of the spell. They decided their best hope was to get Gregory into one of the wooded parks near the memorial. The trees would provide some cover and would enable Merlin to cast the spell to take away Gregory’s magic without attracting too much attention. He had to be touching Gregory for the spell to work, and the spell itself was quite complicated, so really he needed Gregory to be immobilized, and preferably unconscious, during the process.

They went over and over every contingency as they drove into the city, but Merlin still felt nervous. There were too many things that could go wrong. He didn’t like feeling out of control. And although Merlin had come to trust Nicholas over the last couple of weeks, he still worried that the young sorcerer wouldn’t allow Merlin to harm his father if it came to that. And Merlin did not want to have to hurt Nicholas, although he knew he would in a heartbeat if that was what it took to protect innocent bystanders. Or Arthur. Merlin would do just about anything to protect Arthur.

Finding parking in London was always difficult, but today the process was even more frustrating, because they were in such a hurry. Nicholas had called and texted his father several times, but received no answer. They had no idea where Gregory was, but Merlin suspected he was already in the area around the memorial.

They had to park nearly half a mile away and run through the streets and across the park to get to the Victoria Memorial statues. Merlin and Arthur stayed back, trying to remain inconspicuous, while Nicholas walked right up to the monument and texted Gregory again to find out if he was nearby. If Gregory was close, Nicholas would signal Merlin and Arthur. If he received a text, but Gregory was not in the immediate vicinity, Nicholas would take the time to forward the text to Merlin.

As they watched Nicholas and waited, Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand and held on. He leaned close to Merlin and whispered, “We’ll stop him. This will all be over soon.”

Grateful for Arthur’s optimism, Merlin squeezed his hand in return and nodded, but he couldn’t help biting his lip a little, as his nerves were on edge, and his heart was racing.

“Hey.” Arthur stared at Merlin until he turned his head to meet Arthur’s eye. The raw emotion he saw there made Merlin’s breath catch in his throat.

“I love you.” Arthur murmured with a slight smile.

Merlin couldn’t help himself. He darted forward and planted a firm kiss on Arthur’s lips. “I love you, too.”

They smiled at one another one more time before turning their attention back to Nicholas. But their hands remained entwined between them.

Suddenly Nicholas looked at his mobile and then put it into his pocket, placed his hand on top of his head and scratched through his hair. With one last squeeze, Merlin released his hold on Arthur’s hand, ready to move at any moment. This was it. That was the signal that meant that Gregory Hearn was approaching. Merlin scanned the crowd around the memorial, but didn’t see him until Arthur nudged his arm and pointed to a figure walking down the pathway between the monument and the trees that marked the edge of the park.

This was their best chance to stop Gregory before he got into the main crowd around the front of the palace. Arthur moved around behind Gregory, and Merlin moved closer to cut off the man’s approach. Nicholas also walked toward his father, smiling and waving, providing a distraction from the other two men who were converging on Gregory from opposite directions.

Merlin hissed a few ancient words under his breath and cast the spell to make Gregory Hearn inconspicuous as well. Merlin, Arthur and Nicholas would still see his every move, of course, because they were particularly looking out for him, as well as each other. But hopefully others around the area would be less likely to notice any of his actions, within a certain range of obtrusiveness, anyway.

Nicholas met his father and greeted him with an outstretched hand and a furtive gleam in his eye. “Thank you for waiting for me. I wouldn’t want to miss this.”

Gregory shook his son’s hand firmly. “I’m glad you changed your mind. This will be for the best. You’ll see. In just a few minutes, we’ll be all over the web. Everyone will know how special we are. The power we wield. They’ll be falling on their knees to serve us.”

“I should help, then.” Nicholas’s voice sounded unnaturally high which worried Merlin. He was getting too nervous, and that might cause him to slip up. “Can you teach me the spell, so I can do it, too?”

Nicholas motioned with his head toward the park to indicate to Gregory that they should move aside so that Nicholas could also learn the animation spell. But Gregory would not have that.

“No need, son. I can handle the magic. You just watch. And then when people start coming to me for interviews, you can introduce me.”

Gregory started walking again toward the statues, so Merlin stepped forward to cast a spell to force him to turn around. Unfortunately, Gregory had apparently already spotted Merlin, because without warning, he threw out his hand and sent Merlin flying across the pavement. He knocked his head against a post, and his vision blurred. A voice echoed strangely in his head. It was Gregory’s.

“You idiot! Did you think you fooled me? I knew you had turned against me, and I was expecting you to bring your new best friends along.”

Merlin saw another body fly through the air. That must be Nicholas. A strong figure was stalking toward Gregory now. Arthur! Merlin tried to cry out, but he couldn’t seem to make his mouth work. There was no way Arthur could defeat Gregory. He didn’t even have his sword.

But before Arthur got to Gregory, the sorcerer cried out and started running away from the monument. Merlin struggled to get up to follow him, but his head spun and he couldn’t find his balance. Then all of a sudden there were strong arms reaching around him and pulling him to his feet.

“Merlin! Are you okay? Did you do something? He went running into the trees.” Arthur’s voice in Merlin’s ear and his arms around Merlin’s waist were grounding him and helping him to focus. His head still throbbed, but at least the world was in focus and no longer spinning.

“I didn’t do anything.” Merlin had no idea what made Gregory run away so suddenly. “But we have to find him.”

He and Arthur ran into the park and soon spotted Gregory scooting along the grass as if something were hurting his backside. It was such an odd sight that it made Merlin and Arthur pause for a moment. And in that moment, Gregory spotted them again. He jumped to his feet, but this time Merlin was ready. One look and Gregory was flying several yards onto his back.

Merlin hobbled toward him, head spinning once more, and tried to cast a spell to immobilize him, but Gregory threw up a shield just in time. The strength of his defence knocked Merlin off his feet again.

This time Arthur hurled himself at Gregory, flattening him to the ground. He punched Gregory in the stomach, and Merlin thought Arthur would be able to hold him long enough for Merlin to knock him unconscious, but his reaction time was slowed by his head injury and as he sat up, he noticed that Arthur was not moving. Gregory’s arm was out, his hand pointed directly at Arthur’s throat. Arthur’s mouth was agape, and he wasn’t breathing. Gregory was choking him.

“One move, and I snap his neck.” Gregory Hearn’s voice was sinister and deadly serious.

Arthur’s eyes were linked with Merlin’s. Normally, Merlin could snap Gregory’s neck or even stop his heart with one focused glance, but with the throbbing pain in his head, and the world spinning the way it was, he wasn’t sure he could stop Gregory before he hurt Arthur, and he absolutely would not chance Arthur’s life. So Merlin sat completely unmoving, eyes trying to convey all of his love and regrets to Arthur, while at the same time focusing his magic inward, trying to heal himself.

Before he could make any progress, however, Gregory Hearn was struck in the head with a rock. As he slumped to the ground, Arthur scooted away, and both his and Merlin’s heads whipped to find the source of the flying rock. Nicholas stood with his arm outstretched, a shocked look on his face.

“Nicholas.” Merlin breathed, suddenly shaking as he realized how close he had come to losing Arthur again.

Arthur stood and reached out to shake Nicholas’s hand. “Thanks, mate.”

But just as Arthur and Nicholas shook hands, Gregory’s arm twitched. When Merlin realized that Gregory was not unconscious and was stretching his arm to cast a spell in Arthur’s direction, he decided that enough was enough. He bent his head forward and cast his own spell to stop the vicious sorcerer’s heart. But, at the same moment, Nicholas must have realized his father’s intent as well. He yanked Arthur out of the way and stepped in between his father and his friend. Gregory’s spell must have been cast before Merlin’s hit, because both father and son collapsed to the ground at the same time.

For a moment, Arthur stood frozen on the spot, processing what had just happened. His eyes locked on Merlin’s, and he asked, “Did you…?”

Merlin nodded. “I killed Gregory.”

He struggled to stand as he watched Arthur kneel beside Nicholas and place his hand on the young man’s neck feeling for a pulse. But Arthur looked back at Merlin and shook his head.

“He’s dead.” Arthur frowned. “He saved my life, didn’t he?”

Merlin managed to get to his feet and walked over to place his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “I believe he did, yeah.”

They were both still for a few moments, grateful for Nicholas’s sacrifice, but saddened to lose their new friend. Then Arthur stood and gathered Merlin into his arms, and they just clung to one another in their shock.

“Merlin! Arthur!” They turned in the direction of the memorial to see Anna jogging toward them along with a young man Merlin didn’t recognise. “What happened?”

Keeping his arm around Arthur’s waist, Merlin answered her very simply. “Gregory Hearn tried to kill Arthur, but Nicholas pulled him out of the way just in time. Gregory killed Nicholas instead. And I killed Gregory.”

Both Anna and the young man stopped where they were and stared wide-eyed at the bodies on the ground. But their eyes kept cutting back to Merlin for brief moments. They seemed shocked, both by the violence that had taken place and by Merlin’s matter of fact explanation and admission that he had just killed a man.

And frankly, Merlin was a little surprised that he didn’t feel anything more. He had not killed anyone in more than a thousand years. The act of taking someone else’s life should have more of an effect on him. But all he felt was relief that Arthur was safe and that Gregory Hearn would not hurt anyone else.

Arthur was a few steps ahead of Merlin, though. He pointed at the young man standing next to Anna. “Anna? Who is this?”

The young man spoke for himself before Anna could say anything. “My name is Dominic Overton. I’m on the sorcerer community on the web?”

Of course. Now Merlin recognised the young man. He had visited him once several years ago.

“Benjamin got in touch with me earlier. He knew I lived in London, so he sent me photos of all of you and told me to come here and just help in any way I could.”

“When Gregory ran into the park…” Arthur gestured back toward the fountain. “Was that you?”

Dominic grinned proudly. “I made him feel like his bum was on fire.”

Arthur gave a small laugh. “Well done.”

Anna gestured toward Nicholas and Gregory’s bodies. “Um… What are you going to do with them?”

Merlin hung his head considering several possibilities. The simplest solution was not exactly the most respectful, but in the end, the desire to avoid attracting attention won out. With a whispered thank you to Nicholas, he waved his hand over the bodies of both men. With a bright flash and a wave of intense heat, both bodies burned to ashes in an instant. Another wave of Merlin’s hand created a breeze that scattered the ashes, dispersing the evidence across the grass.

Looking back at his shocked companions, Merlin put out his hands and shook his head with remorse. “We’re in the middle of London. Too many people around. Too many questions.”

Anna and Dominic indicated reluctant agreement, but still seemed shocked and saddened by what they had witnessed. They stood staring at the now empty spot on the grass where two dead bodies had just been. They seemed unable to move or speak. But fortunately Arthur had experience helping young warriors deal with the jarring effect of their first battle. He walked up to Anna and Dominic and placed himself directly in their line of sight. He spoke with a solemn, stately voice. The voice of a king.

“Gregory Hearn was a man who had lost his way. He was so desperate for attention that he was willing to kill to get it. Nicholas had made mistakes in the past, but he died a hero. And Merlin, as always, did what was necessary to maintain peace and order.”

Arthur made eye contact with first Anna and then Dominic. Each of them nodded and seemed now resigned to what had happened. When Arthur spoke again, his tone was more tender.

“Now, Anna, would you and Dominic mind waiting at the monument for us to join you?” He pointed behind them and then lowered his voice to a near whisper. “I need a moment alone with Merlin.”

Anna nodded and led Dominic through the wooded area back toward the Victoria Memorial. Arthur turned back to Merlin who suddenly felt the weight of everything that had just happened. He felt tears stinging his eyes and threatening to spill down his cheeks. And then Arthur’s arms were around him once more, enveloping him in warmth and love. And Arthur’s voice was in his ear, soft and low, murmuring words of reassurance and appreciation.

And soon Merlin stopped shaking and felt steady once more. He pulled back, gave his boyfriend a nod of thanks, and took his hand to walk together to meet their friends.

*************

Ten months later…

“Welcome to Camp Camelot!” Arthur shook hands with Holli and her parents. Holli was a young sorceress whose magic had manifested the previous summer. Merlin had visited her, but he left her feeling more scared and alone than before. He had worried about her afterward, because she apparently had a bit of a temper, but over the last few months she had become active in the online community making friends and learning techniques of control.

“Let me show you around.”

He led them away from the row of small cabins where Holli would be staying along with the other young sorcerers who had come to spend a couple of weeks at camp, learning magical skills and spending time getting to know one another.

Arthur pointed to a large pavilion with a small building to its side. “Kitchen and mess tent. You’ll serve on a rotation to help prepare the food for everyone. Our chef will teach you some handy spells that can simplify food preparation.”

“Classrooms.” Arthur indicated the next set of buildings, one of which had smoke coming out of one window. “And that would be the potions room. Smoke is not an uncommon occurrence during the early days of camp. At least it’s not blue this time!”

Holli’s parents chuckled uncomfortably, but Holli just grinned at Arthur, her eyes gleaming with delight. Next they came to a field where campers were sending dummies flying through the air and practicing tripping one another led by Merlin and Benjamin.

“And this is the training field where you’ll practice spells of protection. Some are for real emergencies. That’s the flying dummies.” He smiled indulgently at Holli’s parents. “But most are more subtle. Tripping someone who is about to do harm or pulling someone back away from a hazard.”

They stood and watched the training for a few minutes until Arthur caught Merlin’s eye and beckoned him over.

“I believe you have met my husband, Merlin. He’s our lead sorcerer, of course.”

Holli grabbed her mother’s arm. “See, Mum? What did I tell you? It’s just like Hogwarts, except instead of Dumbledore, we get Merlin!”

Holli’s mother just rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but her father let out a hearty laugh. Merlin beamed. “Holli! I’m so glad you could join us. Are you ready to get started right away?”

Holli nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, please!”

“Benjamin!” Merlin called to the young man now leading the training, as Holli jogged over to join the campers. “This is Holli. Help her get started with the tripping spell.”

Arthur told Holli’s parents that they were welcome to stay and watch for a while, and then he and Merlin walked together back toward the classrooms. Their hands found each other as they walked, and Arthur smiled as he surveyed the camp. It had taken many months for them to find a suitably isolated location and set up the camp, but all their work was paying off. Sorcerers were coming from around the globe to train with other sorcerers. People of all ages came to participate and to help. After years of feeling isolated and alone in their magic, so many were relieved now to have both the online connections with others like them and this camp.

Camp Camelot. The name had been Merlin’s idea, and naturally, Arthur loved it. The kids who came all called him King Arthur, and he could not be more thrilled. Even though Arthur could not help with the magic training, he took care of the administrative side of things. But he also helped with advising the young sorcerers and helping them realize the role they could play as peacekeepers and protectors in the world. Merlin taught them simple healing techniques. Anna showed them subtle ways to help those in need, like warming the blankets of homeless people they saw on the street. Benjamin, when he wasn’t in school, taught methods for dealing with bullies, both with magic, like the tripping thing, and with non-magical means like seeking help from a mediator.

But the best part of all of this was that Arthur had never seen Merlin happier. Merlin was truly in his element guiding young sorcerers: helping them realize their potential and use their magic to help others. And he and Arthur worked well together. Like two sides of the same coin. Arthur chuckled slightly as he remembered Merlin telling him that the Great Dragon had once described them that way.

“What?” Merlin asked when Arthur had chuckled.

But Arthur shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just…”

He waved his free hand around the camp and smiled at his husband. “We’ve really accomplished something here, haven’t we?”

Now Merlin chuckled and leaned in to brush a kiss against Arthur’s cheek. He nodded. “We really have.”

Arthur grinned back and then threw his arm around Merlin’s shoulders. “Now if only I could still get you to launder my clothes and serve me breakfast in bed, my life would be perfect.”

Merlin shoved Arthur away playfully, and Arthur made to chase him for a moment, but gave up quickly with a wave of dismissal as he watched his husband walk into the school building to teach his class of healing techniques. Just before Merlin entered the building, however, he turned his head back to Arthur and gave him a gorgeous smile. Arthur smiled back, content in the knowledge that for the first time in more than 1400 years, Merlin was truly happy. The Once and Future King and the world’s greatest sorcerer were fulfilling their shared destiny at last.


End file.
